Flagship Banking

The other day I turned up an hour earlier than I should have at one of the Accra branches of the bank that “serves you better”. Apparently business started at 8.30am. I needed a bank draft from that particular branch, an institution that has trust issues relating to its officials and receipts in general had declared so I waited.

In the period I waited, not less than 15 people came by to use the bank's ATM right outside the entrance to the banking hall. It was obvious none of the 15 had any ATM joy because each retrieved their ATM cards from the machine and re-slotted at least twice, shook their heads, turned to walk away, stopped to look again at the machine then huffed away or joined the waiting ranks. In the meantime the numbers of people waiting to access banking services increased steadily; huddling in little groups of twos and threes under the few trees on the compound or on the stairs to the banking hall. Serves us right for getting here too early I thought.

At about 8.15am when I looked through the glass doors leading to the banking hall, I saw what pleased me very much. The bank officials were briskly moving around the hall; they seemed to be setting up the place for business. Just about then and as if on cue, the waiting masses suddenly surged towards the doors, stepping over each other to find standing space. I did not bother; frankly I couldn’t see myself in my crispy little black dress, smashed into all that sweat and flesh first thing on a Monday morning at the door of a bank as if to take advantage of one of those drop-down sales windows of “opportunity”. There were some 30 people pressing to the glass doors and still others trying to make their way to the front of the pack!

My expectation that the doors were about to swing open were quickly dashed anyway. Just 5 minutes to the advertised opening of the bank, a man was seen pacing up and down the room holding what looked like a heavy bible; he was obviously chanting something and all the bank staff were clapping, raising their arms and mouthing some things I could not hear, and swinging from side to side with eyes shut. At 8.40am the group could be seen and heard with a little straining of the ears, animatedly singing and clapping. A praise and worship meeting was in session!

So sometime later (movie style), after the rush entry by the masses, I entered the hot, sardine packed banking hall. I knew I wasn’t going to make it through the “normal” channels; the scene was too daunting even to describe. Many different queues each winding back and forth and ending somewhere outside the hall; sweating officials reaching out to take forms from whichever customer was able to shove theirs into their hands; people speaking all at the same time at officers at their desks .... not possible. Thankfully here was a cheery little security man who gave the bewildered stranger (me) a hand for only a fiver.