April 18, 2017 By Regina Pratt
The sabanboh exhibition hall, CEO Koroma explaining one of the arts works to VP
Vice President of Sierra Leone, Victor Bockarie Foh, has noted that the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Union Trust Bank, (UTB) James Sampha Koroma, has made Sierra Leone proud.
He made the above statement while signing the visitor’s book during a conducted tour of the bank’s new facility on Howe Street in Freetown, last Thursday, April 13, 2017, where he also said dedication, handwork, sincerity of the UTB CEO have given way to the success of the bank.
He said, “I admire you and as Sierra Leoneans, we must recognise and appreciate our own people who have worked so much to contribute to the socio-economic growth of the country. Mr. Sampha Koroma worked so hard to transform the now defunct National Development Bank.
The UTB CEO, Mr. Sampha Koroma, in his brief statement, told the Vice President that the new structure houses a banking hall, treasury bills department, investment department, boardroom, the Sabanoh exhibition centre and a parking lot.
Standing at the Sabanoh Exhibition Centre, Mr. Koroma pointed at some of the high class African arts, saying, “Some of them were made from thread.”
He also displayed a collection of some currencies collected since 2003, adding that he collected samples of currencies, wherever he had visited.
He also displayed the VP one of the collections which has over 350 currencies from 2011 to 2016. He said, “Some of these Sierra Leonean currencies bear my signature.
Also at the centre, the VP saw the last issue of postpaid stamps of the Sierra Leone Post Office that were used to send mails, while Mr. Sampha Koroma said, “I don’t think Post Office now SALPOST will have these stamps in their archives.”
The UTB CEO disclosed that VP Foh was his classmate and also a colleague in the banking and financial sector for over 40 years.
At the end of the tour, VP Foh signed the visitors’ book.
One of the customers of UTB, who is also a successful businessman, Mr. Mahmoud Kamara, said Mr. Sampha Koroma was one of the successful businessmen Sierra Leone has ever produced.
It could be recalled that UTB started its operation in 1995 and has over 13 branches countrywide. It is the first to operate the Western Union Money Transfer.