The Association of Rural Banks (ARB) and the ARB Apex Bank Limited are undertaking programmes to educate rural banks to develop new products and services to mobilize more deposits for productive investment.

Mrs. Rose Newman, Acting President of the Association of Rural Banks (ARB), said the Association was also considering performance review to enable it to measure the achievements set by the rural banks. However, she said the lack of infrastructure and the inability of most rural banks to retain qualified managers were affecting the growth and the discharge of their operations efficiently. Mrs. Newman was speaking in Accra at the re-launch of the ARB Newsletter, which aims to bring to the fore topical issues within rural banking circles.

She stated that the rural banks were able to break the myth around the saving behaviour and credit worthiness of rural dwellers or poor households in the country.

Dr. Sam Dufu, Chairman of the Board of ARB Apex Bank said image-building for rural banks was crucial to enable them to play their financial intermediation role effectively. Mr. Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh, General Manager (Newspapers), Graphic Communications Group Limited, said it was good that the Association was launching the publication and urged management that it was transformed with time to a news journal to provide adequate information to the public. He said through it, the association would be able to advertise the activities of the bank.

Source: GNA