By
James Esuon, GNA
Winneba-Junction,
Dec. 05, GNA – The Deputy Managing Director of ARB APEX Bank, Mr Alex Kwasi
Awuah, has reassured Ghanaians of government’s commitment to strengthening
rural and community banks amidst the ongoing banking reforms.
Mr Awuah said the
Bank of Ghana (BOG) was collaborating with the APEX Bank, the sole regulatory
institution of rural banks, to put effective mechanisms in place to boost
operations to improve the rural economy.
He gave the
assurance when he addressed the Extraordinary General Meeting of shareholders
of the Gomoa Community Bank at Winneba-Junction.
He said the Apex
Bank was working hard to offer the necessary financial support to rural banks
to enable them to perform their required functions and that some distressed
rural banks were being assisted to meet the one-million Ghana cedis BOG share
capital requirement.
The Deputy MD urged
the boards, managements, staff, customers and shareholders of rural banks to
discard the notion that government would run down rural and community banks.
He said the BOG had
given a deadline for those banks to meet the minimum share capital requirement
by the end of February 2020 and that the APEX Bank was working hard to keep
them in operation.
He expressed the
hope that all rural banks would be able to meet the deadline with effective
mobilisation of liquidities through APEX Bank’s support to distressed banks to
sustain them.
Mr Awuah urged
shareholders, board, management and staff of the Gomoa Community Bank to buy
more shares to boost its operations.
He commended the
Bank for its successful operations through prudent management and
sustainability after merging with three banks namely; Eastern Gomoa Assin Rural
Bank at Gomoa Dominase, Gomoa Ajumako Rural Bank at Gomoa Afransi, and Gomoa
Rural Bank at Apam.
Mr Thomas Arthur,
the Acting Chairman of the Board of Directors, praised the shareholders for
their resolution to empower the Board of Directors to look for strategic
investors to invest in the Bank.
He said the merger
had helped the development of the rural economy in the respective districts and
sustained employment and mobilisation of funds.
It had also saved
teachers from commuting to and from Winneba and Agona Swedru to receive their
salaries at the end of the month.
Mr Isaac Arkhurst
Yamoah, the Administrator of Association of Rural Banks, Central Regional Chapter, said the merging of
three rural banks had brought the needed glory to Gomoa communities and asked the citizens to contribute their
quota towards boosting the rural banking sector.
He said it was
regrettable that people in Gomoa had denied their own banks even though no
commercial or offshore bank was prepared to establish branches there and urged
people to patronise the rural banks.
He urged the
citizens, both home and abroad, to recommend Gomoa Community Bank to investors,
especially well-to-do Ghanaians, to buy more shares to enhance its operations.
Mr Appiah Thompson,
the Board Member of the Bank, urged shareholders and customers not to entertain
any fears since there was no cause for alarm about the operations of the Bank.
He said the Bank was
making frantic efforts to hold an Annual General Meeting in February, 2020 to
declare the state of affairs to shareholders and appealed to them to buy more
shares to boost its operations.  Â
Obirifo Ahor Ahunako
Ankobeah II, Omanhene of Gomoa Assin Traditional Area, urged the people to own
the bank and ensure it thrived because its collapse would be a big blow to the
area’s economy.
He pledged to buy
5,000 Ghana cedis shares, in addition to other investments he had made in the
Bank, to increase its capital base.
GNAÂ Â
