Former staff of GN Bank, traders join forces to demand license restoration

Former staff and customers of the defunct Groupe Nduom (GN) Bank have asked the Bank of Ghana to restore the license of the Bank to bring back jobs and promote financial inclusion.

The group made the call during the ‘Bring Back GN Bank’ campaign at the Kaneshie Market in Accra.

Mr. Philip Sarpei, a former staff member of the Bank, said: “Currently, as a young person, I am unemployed. What can I do to make money to support myself and my family? I launched a business to support myself, but it isn’t enough. Things are very bad for some of us because we have been jobless since the Bank of Ghana collapsed GN Bank.”

He said some former staff of the Bank had also been stigmatised by potential hirers, denying them employment opportunities just because they had worked with the defunct GN Bank.

Mr. Sarpei urged the BoG and the Finance Ministry to do the needful and ensure that the Bank’s license was restored.

‘The Bring Back GN Bank’ campaign is spearheaded by the founder of the Bank, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom.

The campaign, among other objectives, seeks to mount pressure on the government to pay debts owed to the Bank and restore its banking license.

Dr Nduom has visited five regions since the commencement of the campaign in late May.

Madam Cecelia Boateng, a trader at the market, bemoaned the collapse of GN Bank, saying access to credit and other financial services had been severely impacted.

She lamented that services provided by the defunct bank had been ignored and untapped by other financial institutions. 

Madam Araba Ansah, another trader at the market, said following the collapse of GN Bank, she was unable to save with any bank and that she took sales home daily.