Government asked to aid Department of Co-operatives

Techiman (B/A), May 12, GNA - Mr Appiah Agyarko, Manager of the Ebenezer Co-operative Credit Union in Techiman, has called on the government to strengthen the Department of Co-operatives to help improve its organizational network.

He said this would help the department to build a formidable co-operative system in the country towards poverty alleviation. Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Techiman, Mr Agyarko said, if such recognition was given to the department, it could spearhead the establishment of credit unions in the country to improve members' living standards.

He said co-operative credit unions were the surest and shortest way through which loans could be given to customers and effectively be retrieved.

The manager reiterated the need for the government to channel its poverty alleviation fund through viable credit unions for easy repayment, instead of through district, municipal and metropolitan assemblies, which normally faced difficulties in retrieving such loans. Mr James Okyere, Techiman Municipal Co-operative Officer told the electronic machinery.

"From October 2005 to date, the municipal office has not been provided with any quarterly imprest to enable it's field staff to operate in the municipality", he said.

Mr Okyere expressed regret that the office owed rent bills of millions of cedis and were threatened with ejection and appealed to the authorities to realize the important role the Department was playing in revenue mobilization.