Standard Bank opens branch in copper rich Katanga

July 31. The Standard Bank Group has expanded its operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with the opening of a full- service branch in the country’s “second city” of Lubumbashi, the mining centre of the Katanga region. The city has approximately 1.2 million people.
“The opening of the Lubumbashi branch is a natural extension to our operational coverage in the DRC, which had, until now, been restricted to Kinshasa where we have a head office and branch. The strategic positioning of Lubumbashi in the southeast of the country near the Zambian border, its status as a mining, commercial and industrial centre, served by the Luano International Airport and also a major railway junction, make it a desirable representation and growth area for Standard Bank,” said Louis Nallet, MD, Standard Bank DRC.
It is staffed by 16 bi-lingual staff who speak both French and English. In the expansion of services the installation of an ATM is also next on the development agenda.
Nallet said the opening of the branch was a massive undertaking that presented major logistical challenges. The majority of construction materials were manufactured in Johannesburg and transported by road through Botswana and Zambia before reaching the DRC.