CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF BANK'S AREA OF OPERATION
As a development oriented institution, Atwima Kwanwoma Rural Bank has provided funding for a number of development projects. The bank's focus is to assist the communities to help themselves and their environment by providing resources, sharing knowledge and building capacity.
Atwima Kwanwoma Rural Bank maintains a large budget for community development and you will agree with me that, the bank is making giant strides to move Ashanti forward. The bank has developed a trademark of social philanthropy. Our impact can be seen in areas like Education, Health, Sanitation, Water Supply and Electricity. The bank is promoting war against disease, poverty and ignorance. Since 1995, the bank has spent GH¢ 215,000 on development projects in the locality.
SUPPORT TOWARDS DISEASE PREVENTION
Atwima Kwanwoma Rural Bank has made the health concerns of its operating area a priority. The S.D.A Hospital at Dominase in the year 2000 was adopted and has since donated cash support of GH¢ 6,000 towards a construction of a nurses' quarters, five (5) hospital beds with mattresses, furniture for the out-patient department, one (1) colour television and a video deck and above all, health educational and outreach programmes to create awareness on health issues.
Komfo Anokye Teaching hospital also received two (2) 21inches colour televisions and a video deck to entertain patients and a cash donation of GH¢ 2,000 towards a blood donation campaign.
The bank has been concerned with the environmental cleanliness to avert disease. In this light, a donation of GH¢ 1,000 was made to purchase wheel barrows, shovels, pick axes for clean-up campaigns in Old-Tafo and its environs.The bank has provided KVIP places of convenience to several communities including; Dominase, Kantinkyeren, Konkori, Konkomase near Atasomanso.
SUPPORT TO EDUCATION
The future of the country lies in the quality of education. Atwima Kwanwoma Rural Bank has been fighting ignorance since 1999 when a committee was set up to study the special needs of its community. The committee considered the role education plays in the human resource development and therefore threw its searchlight on the state of primary schools in the bank's catchment areas. Our research revealed a state of poor enrolment and high drop-out rate in most of the primary schools in the Amansie-West District. Further research identified three (3) main causes;
1. Many primary pupils drop-out because of lack of school desks.
2. Parents' inability to pay their wards' school fees and provide them with study Materials
3. Deplorable and risky conditions under which pupils study. e.g. loose and hanging Roofs and dusty classroom floors.
As the bank's contribution to do away with these problems, 113 duplet desks, 12 cupboards, 15 teachers' tables were distributed to 35 basic schools in 2000 and 73 pupils were granted scholarships by paying their fees and books. 12 schools were renovated while a Junior High School workshop and a 9-classroom school blocks were completed at Kwanwoma and Afrancho respectively.
In 2002, the bank helped to construct two Nursery Schools at Atasomanso and Broyeduru while 805 duplet desks were distributed to 32 basic schools in 2003. A scholarship of Gh¢ 6,000 was also granted to 150 pupils to pay for their fees and study materials in 2004.
SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME
The bank initiated a scholarship scheme to enable needy Junior High School (J.H.S) pupils to enter the Senior High School (S.H.S) in 1999. So far, 270 students have benefited, out of which 60% are females. This has helped improved girl child education. Again, the bank has put up a Community Library at Pakyi No. 2 to assist children in the area to read and research to enhance their education.
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To grand it all, the bank has began the construction of a model Senior High School (S.H.S) for the Pakyi Community. So far, GH¢ 150,000 has been spent and the completion of the first phase has been given out on contract at a cost of GH¢ 90,700. The hope of the bank is to see to the opening of the school within the shortest possible time.
POVERTY REDUCTION
One of the recent directions of Atwima Kwanwoma Rural Bank is to make financial services especially savings and loans accessible to low income people in both rural and sub-urban areas so that they can generate wealth to cater for their basic needs and improve their quality of life.
The Susu product was introduced by the bank in 2001 to make capital accessible to the low income people. As at date, 8,368 clients are doing business with the bank through the Susu Savings and loan schemes and we have mobilized GH¢ 1,883,597.85 under the Susu scheme alone.
We have advanced GH¢ 1,697,374.26 as loans to 1,323 Susu clients such as carpenters, hairdressers, petty traders, mechanics, bakers, fishmongers, food vendors among others who through the normal course of business will not have qualified for a loan from he bank. The bank has inculcated savings habit among a lot of customers through the Susu deposit.
The bank also introduced the Group Loan scheme in 2002 to enable organized groups to have access to capital. The group lending has reached out to 640 groups with a total sum of GH¢ 3,404,425.02
SUPPORT TO THE UNDER PRIVILEGED
Atwima Kwanwoma Rural Bank has been there all the time to defend and protect the needy, children, the infirmary, the disabled and socially vulnerable.
* The bank has constructed ramps at two sites at Ayigya and Santasi to receive the physically challenged who come to do business with the bank.
* The deplorable conditions at the central destitute infirmary at Bekwai touched the heart of the bank to donate food items for the up-keep of the inmates.
* On several occasions, the bank has donated cash and food items to the Westphalia village at Oyoko.
* The bank donated a wheel chair to a physically challenged student of the Kumasi Polytechnic, Master Ata Yeboah and sponsored his 3-years HND Course until tragedy struck and the student was knocked down by a vehicle and lost his life.
* The bank took it upon itself to repair a broken down vehicle of the Kumasi Children's Home to facilitate their movements. To protect the community, the bank spent GH¢ 850 to renovate the Old-Tafo police station in 2004.
DEVELOPMENTAL PROJECTS IN CATCHMENT AREA
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The bank has undertaken a lot of developmental programmes in its areas of operations, some of which include;
* Construction of culverts to link suburbs of Santasi
* Construction of a bridge to link Moshie-Zongo, New-Tafo and Tafo Nhyieso.
* Fencing of a refuse dump at Old-Tafo
* Construction of gutters at Old-Tafo Adompom
* Construction of a drainage at Old-Tafo Ahenbronum
* Support for the construction of boreholes at Pakyi No. 1 and Pakyi No. 2
* Assistance for the supply of electricity to Pakyi No. 2
* As part of its social responsibility, the bank donated GH¢ 6,000 to the K.M.A for the beautification of Kumasi and also spent GH¢ 17,500 for the beautification of the Ahodwo roundabout by mounting a gigantic metallic horse to beautify the roundabout.These developmental efforts have facilitated a speedy integration of the rural economy into the overall economic and development process.