Bank earmarks 80 million cedis for education, development

Kintampo (B/A), July 18, GNA - The Kintampo Rural Bank has earmarked about 80 million cedis to support education and community development in the Kintampo District this year. Mr. Kwaku Poku, Chairman of the Board of Directors, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Kintampo on Wednesday, said 10 needy but promising students, seven in JSS and three in SSS, had been selected for sponsorship.

The JSS students would be given 300,000 cedis each, while those in SSS would receive one million cedis each. He said to ensure that the students would continue to work hard, their headmasters would monitor and supervise their activities and submit reports on them to the management of the bank. He said any of the beneficiaries who involved in immoral acts would lose the privilege. Mr. Poku expressed concern about the fallen standard of education in the district and said the bank would extend the facility to the tertiary level.

Mr. Poku said the bank had placed refuse containers worth five million cedis at vantage in Kintampo to check littering and spent 22 million cedis in tarring the Apesika-Junction to Toronto Guest House street in the town. Mrs. Joyce Debrah-Apraku, Manager of the Bank, expressed appreciation to the people for their patronage, saying, about 80 per cent of salaried workers in the area received their salaries through the Bank. She said the bank would not relent in supporting the people to improve their living standards.

The Bank's Officer in-charge of the Scholarship Scheme, Mr. Martin Mensah disclosed that the Kintampo United Football Club was also receiving support from the bank. The bank has launched a 1.2 billion cedis Micro-Credit Scheme to support about 3,000 businesswomen to expand their activities to enhance their living conditions.