Credit Unions should show honesty

Bunso (Eastern Region) 7 Oct. 1998 An eight-week certificate training programme for 60 Credit Union Office Managers and Micro Finance Institutions, opened at the Bunso Cocoa College on October 5. Organised by the Ghana Co-operative Credit Unions Association (CUA) and the Canadian Co-operative Association, the training is to sharpen and harmonise the skills of the participants to enable them to achieve optimum productivity. It would also enable CUA to attain its long cherished professional excellence.

Mr John P. Kitcher, Deputy Registrar of Co-operatives praised credit unions in Ghana for their contributions towards economic growth by mobilising savings in the urban and rural areas for investments.

He noted that credit unions, like other co-operative societies, are business organisations, which must be run on sound business lines in order to meet the socio-economic needs of its members. He called on the participants to show a high degree of honesty and transparency in the discharge of their duties so as to earn the respect and gain the confidence of members. Mr Ampofo Duodo, Presiding Member of the East Akim District Assembly, observed that the total mobilisation of 15 billion cedis by credit unions from its local communities and granting a loan of 14 billion cedis was an indication that CUA is a force to reckon with.

He asked CUA to ensure gender equity in their operations, saying "there exists in our society today, several inequities that tend to be a disadvantage to women in particular." GRi