Akuapem Rural Bank PLC, with its head office at Mamfe, in the Akuapem North Municipality in the Eastern Region has held a Durbar for about 1,400 customers in its Microfinance program.
The durbar which was held in two separate occasions in two at Nsawam and Mamfe was on the Theme “Microfinance & Women Empowerment: A Tool for Poverty Reduction”.
The event brought together Microfinance customers from Greater Accra, Eastern and Central Regions of Ghana. The primary objective of the program was to obtain feedback on the banks products and services as well as encourage the customers to understand the importance of savings and banking.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors Mr. Kwame Gyeke – Amoako in his opening address advised the women to manage their finances well and take advantage of the credit facilities offered by the bank to improve upon their livelihood.
Chairman of Microfinance Committee Lawyer Daniel Asare Mintah, urged the women to strive to build better financial future for their families and take advantage of the opportunities offered to them by the bank to cultivate the habit of savings.
The Executive Director of Association of Rural Banks Ghana (ARB), Mrs. Comfort Owusu advised the women to be truthful in their dealings with the bank and also build themselves up and to be productive in all their activities.
She said she was happy to see the empowerment of women through the Bank and advised them to grab such opportunities to make their lives better.
The CEO of the Bank, Mr. Kingsley Kyere outlined some of the development plans the Microfinance Unit has in place for customers which include Life insurance policy through a collaboration with Enterprise Life Insurance as well as loans towards their wards education.
He also advised the women to be cautious in their dealings with the Microfinance Officers assigned them and desist from activities that might cause their exit from their group.
They were also taking through education on cyber security as well health screening.
Some deserving groups and individuals were given awards as a motivation for other groups and individuals to serve as an incentive for others.
The categories of awards included overall best group, best saver, best performing repayment, best emerging group among others.
