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Barclays Bank to open more branches
Accra, July 25, Ghanadot/GNA - Barclays Bank Ghana Limited
is set to double its branches to 64 from the current level
of 31 by next year in a bid to capture a big chunk of the
industry's market share.
Similarly, the bank is also working to augment the number of
Automated Teller Machines to about 80 as against 28.
Branches would be opened at Bolgatanga, Swedru, Aflao, Kasoa,
Techiman and Asafo, among others.
Mrs Margaret Mwanakatwe, Managing Director of Barclays Bank
of Ghana who announced this at the commissioning of the
Spintex Road Branch of the Bank on Tuesday, said these were
in line with the bank's expansion programme and aimed to
position the bank to become the leading contributor to the
country's economic growth and development.
Mrs Mwanakatwe said this vision would only be achieved
through expansion and presence in key commercial centres as
well as increasing access to banking facilities.
"We will not be able to play that role if we remain lean and
thin on the ground, if we stay out from key commercial
centres in the country and if we do not take our financial
inclusion agenda to another level by increasing access to
our banking facilities, irrespective of which corner in the
country one stays," she said.
Mrs Mwanakatwe said the bank was responding positively to
the challenges in the industry through offering customers
diverse superior products and services.
Mr Van Lare Dosoo, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana,
said banks were taking advantage of the level playing field
created in the industry through years of reforms to expand
and introduce innovative products unlike the past when they
relied only on short-term government securities.
He underscored the need for extension of financial access to
the communities, saying only about 20 per cent of the
economically active population had access to financial
services.
"We should not be comfortable with 80 per cent of the
population without access to one financial service or the
other," he said.
Mr Dosoo commended Barclays' drive to take financial
services to the community.
GNA
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