Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah
The Lower Pra Rural Bank PLC has celebrated its 40th anniversary with a call on the bank to invest in financial literacy.
Climaxing the celebration over the weekend at Shama under the theme: “Effectiveness of Lower Pra in Rural Banking For Community Development,” the Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, said, one of the most difficult challenges in the country is that people do not know what money is all about.
He stressed that many people know that money is meant for expenses and not investment.
According to him, money is actually meant for investment, adding that it is only when you invest, then you can get profit to spend on your need.
“But most Ghanaian people, when they get money, then they begin to look at the things they do not have in their rooms. They look for the latest car their friends bought, the latest mattresses to sleep on it and become comfortable, and the latest food joint and spots in town.”
Mr. Okyere Darko-Mensah told the bank to make sure financial literacy becomes part of the bank’s corporate social responsibility as they progress.
“When more people understand their businesses, when more people are investing and creating wealth, they will be easily putting their money in the bank.”
“So, if you also teach the people in all your catchment area how to invest, how to save money, how to manage money, when they get money, and they want to find a place to keep it, they will bring it to Lower Pra Rural Bank.”
Mr. Okyere Darko-Mensah, commended the Chief Executive Officer of Lower Pra Rural Bank, Mr. Isaac Kwamina Afful for adding 13 new branches to the bank since he assumed office as the CEO of the bank for the past 25 years.
“One of the interesting things about Mr. Afful is that, even when he came as a young person, he knew that in the western region, there are always possibilities.”
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According to him, this is the hope which he wants the young people, especially, the staff of the bank to know that one day they will be branch managers, CEOs.
He therefore entreated them to dedicate themselves to growing the bank because when the bank grows, they will also create opportunities for themselves.
“If you do your work well, you will create opportunities for yourselves, and when you create opportunities for yourselves as bankers, then I know that the young men and women in the western region will get the needed financial support to express their ideas, create products and services that they can also use in creating prosperity.”
He said, if Lower Pra can grow from Shama, which is a district and get to all part of the western region, then I know it is possible for the region to become great.
He noted that, life they say begins at forty and as the workforce clinch to 500, it marks the beginning of making it 5000 workforces in the future.
According to him, if the bank were able to pay dividends in spite of COVID challenges, then there is no way that come next year when everything would have turned a corner, the bank would not do better to increase its numbers.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Lower Pra Rural Bank, Isaac Kwamina Afful, addressing the gathering, said, the bank has offered a great relief to the rural communities by taking the bank to the doorsteps of the rural and urban dwellers.
This, according to him, has reduced monies that were kept in the houses by the rural dwellers, which sometimes cause several harms to them.
The presence of Lower Pra in the communities, he said, has reduced drastically the risk of people’s money being stolen or burnt through fire outbreak.
He expressed the satisfaction of the rural and urban dwellers for doing business with the bank.
Mr. Afful, indicated that the bank has also taken keen interest in the payment of salaries by the government and other organization to its numerous salary customers.
“The presence of Lower Pra Rural Bank PLC as a financial intermediary has made it so comfortable for salary customers, especially rural and urban dwellers, to redraw cash from their salaries with ease.”
He continued that the risk of traveling long distance to cash cheque and make payments has been eliminated.
He said, the bank has also established itself in the e-banking products and has become the preferred bank in its catchment area.
“It is worth mentioning that Lower Pra Rural Bank, offers its generic accounts, notably Epo Nworaba, K3se wo Kan, Bonus savings, Ebusua Mfrayie, Gyedzi, Nhyira, Anyidado, Dabi na Ebaka, Bisa, Tsie na Atse, Asomdwe, Harvest and Providence savings.”
He therefore said, some of the products have performed creditably, but they are determined to continue to educate customers for their benefits.
The Managing Director of ARB Apex Bank PLC, Alex Kwasi Awuah, on his part admonished the staff of Lower Pra to become more dedicated and committed to maintain the successes chalked over the 4 decades for further development.
He encouraged the staff to be united and make the bank become very impactful in its catchment area.
Mr. Awuah commended the bank for its contribution to both human and infrastructure development in Shama and other operational communities.
He therefore called for entrepreneurship among the private individuals for their growth; adding that as the individual businesses begin to grow in the district and the entire country will also develop.
The Board Chairperson of Lower Pra Rural Bank, Miss Felicia Aba Dawood, also in an address made a remark that the bank has grown from macro loans and saving financial institution to an enviable rural bank as they celebrate their 40th anniversary.
Source: Ghananest.com/Matthew O. A. Dadzie/Genevieve Ama Vortia
