Amanano Rural Bank assists customers

In spite of the low patronage of the Akuafo Cheque system at the rural banks by cocoa farmers, the Amanano Rural Bank at Nyinahin in the Atwima District of Ashanti purchased eight billion cedis of Akuafo Cheques last year.

Out of this, the bank made a profit of 76 million cedis, Mr Daniel Adu, the Bank Manager, told the Ghana News Agency at Nyinahin at the weekend.

Speaking on the bank's performance and assistance to customers, Mr Adu said it granted loans totalling about 600 million cedis to traders, farmers, workers and small-scale entrepreneurs to expand their businesses and farms.

Mr Akoma Sarpong, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the bank, said the bank had initiated a 'susu' scheme to rope-in people with small deposits into the banking system.

This way, he said, the bank would be able to mobilise money, which otherwise would not have been saved and also extend credit facilities to the contributors and urged them to patronise the scheme since it was laudable.

Mr Sarpong appealed to all customer who owed the bank to repay the loans to enable others to benefit.