Rural banks to provide facilities for the disabled

Amuana-Praso (E/R), Aug 1, GNA - Rural banks across the country are to provide user-friendly facilities for persons with disabilities (PWDs) by the end of the year, Mr Emmanuel Kwapong, the Managing Director of ARB Apex Bank, has said.

The project, which was launched during the Rural Banking Week celebration last year, is aimed at making rural banking accessible to the disabled.

In a speech read for him at the 13th annual general meeting of the Mponua Rural Bank at Amuana-Praso on Saturday, Mr Kwapong said the construction of ramps at the frontage of rural banks as well as the positioning of special desks in banking halls to serve PWDs was a priority of the ARB Apex Bank.

"We in the rural banking sector have recognised the need to offer this segment of our population, estimated to be eight per cent, the opportunity to be productive by offering them banking opportunities", Mr Kwapong said.

"We shall achieve this if we provide them with user-friendly banking environment."

Mr Daniel K. Ansong, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, presented his annual report and said the emergence of traditional and new banks had compelled the bank to re-position itself to cope with stiff competition.

He said the bank's total income rose from 2.6 billion cedis in 2004 to 3.1 billion cedis in 2005, representing 19 per cent increase while operation expenses rose by 47 per cent from 1.9 billion cedis to 2.8 billion cedis with the same period.

Mr Ansong, however, said the bank's profit before tax declined from 569.2 million cedis to 357.2 million cedis the previous year.