The ARB Apex Bank together with the General Managers and CEOs of all rural and community banks across the country are holding an annual two-day managers’ conference at the Volta Serene Hotel in Ho which begins today.
This year’s conference which is the nineteenth in the series is on the theme “The Speed of Change.” The conference will bring together general managers and chief executive officers of the rural and community banks to discuss the current happenings and some challenges in the rural banking sector and to proffer solutions to them.
The conference is very important to the industry players because it is a convergence of technical advisors of all RCBs, where they take stock of their strategies and prepare themselves in readiness to surmount the challenges facing the sub-sector of the economy. During the conference, participants are taken through various training modules, which will go a long way to improve upon their service delivery.
It is expected that the organizers of the conference will bring on board a rich pool of consultants who will be taking the managers through carefully selected topics, from the beginning of the programme to the end.
The topics as well as the consultants are always strategically selected to help equip managers with contemporary strategies to effectively tackle emerging issues in the sub-sector.
For the next two days, the managers will be concentrating their energies on treating topics like the Speed of Change; the Human Resource Perspective, the Market Place and Leveraging Strength for Competitive Advantage amongst other topics.
It is also expected that a representative of the Governor of the Central Bank will make a regulatory pronouncement that may seek to collaborate with the Apex Bank to reposition the rural banks for effective operational service delivery.
The participants will be looking forward to an update on the banking industry and make time to look at matters arising from the communique issued in the 2019 conference, held in Sunyani.
Rural and community banks have a key role in making a positive contribution towards the reduction of poverty. They also act as one of the key channels to distribute funds to businesses in their localities and encourage the spread of sound entrepreneurial activity.
It is also believed that rural and community banks can provide an additional channel to deliver essential financial services.
Rural and Community Banks also play a key role in the country’s economic development and ultimately act as a catalyst to stimulate the rural economy by supporting micro and SME businesses based in rural areas.
This initiative can contribute to poverty reduction and help in bridging the gap between urban areas and the rural economy.
