Rural banking sector makes progress

Gambaga (Northern Region) --The performance of the Rural/Community banking sector in the country has shown remarkable improvement over the years.

For instance, total assets of rural/community banks as at June were 610.93 billion cedis, up from 412.1 billion cedis last year.

Total deposits of the banks also increased from 303.1 billion cedis to 454.13 billion cedis during the same period, while the number of the banks that satisfied the capital adequacy ratio of six per cent and above were 90 at the end of June, this year, as against 72 per cent last year.

Mr Mensah Adjei Deputy Chief Manager, Banking Supervision Department, Bank of Ghana, said this at the first annual general meeting of the East Mamprusi Community bank at Gambaga on Monday.

Mr Adjei commended the East Mamprusi Community Bank for making significant strides in the provision of financial support to farmers, traders, artisans and other economic groups.

Mr Adjei said between September last year and this year deposits of the bank increased from 1.65 billion cedis to 2.11 billion cedis while loans and advances increased from 601.38 million to 1.18 billion cedis within the same period.

Investments in the money market instruments were also above 1.0 billion cedis. He appealed to staff and management of the banks not to be complacent with their achievements but strive to improve upon and sustain it.

He called on rural banks to strengthen their credit administration procedures through efficient credit appraisal, delivery monitoring and recovery practices to minimise loan loses in other to improve upon their profitability.

He appealed to customers who have benefited from the banks' credit facilities to honour their repayment obligations on schedule to enable other customers to benefit from the scheme. Mr Adjei advised management of the banks to improve their staff training programmes instead of employing dismissed staff of other banks.

Mr Dan Kolbila, Board Chairman of the bank, said under its Micro-Finance/Credit Scheme, 84.6 million cedis was disbursed to three income generation groups at Langbensi, Gambaga and Sakogu, all in the East Mamprusi District.

He said this year 18 micro-finance associations had been formed with a membership of 491 out of which 92 per cent were women and 206.3 billion was disbursed to them to undertake several income generating activities.

Mr Kolbila said as part of its social responsibility programme, the bank last year, donated books valued at four million cedis to the Nalerigu Secondary School and also presented five bags of grains worth one million cedis to the Bawku conflict victims.

The bank also gave one million cedis to the Mamprugu Youth Association. Mr David Konlaa, East Mamprusi District Chief Executive, called on people to buy more shares in the bank.