Mr Asiedu-Mante died Monday night aged 81.

He passed on at the Bank Hospital in Accra after battling with ill health, his son, Daniel Asiedu-Mante, told Graphic Online Wednesday.

Born in June 1942, he was the Deputy Governor of the central bank from May 29, 2001 to May 31, 2006.

The junior Asiedu-Mante said the family was devastated.

“It is sad but we will take it a day at a time,” he said.

“It also brings closer to this thing because we saw it coming,” he said, adding that his father had been unwell for sometime.

The son said the family was due to meet this weekend to decide on the burial and funeral arrangement.

BoG days

The late Asiedu-Mante worked with BoG for 38 years prior to his retirement in 2006 as Deputy Governor.

Also a former Chairman of the Board of Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited, he was instrumental in the introduction of the rural banking concept into the country.

He chaired the central bank’s Transitions Apex Steering Committee that was put together to formulate modalities for a regulatory regime for rural and community banks (RCBs).

The committee’s work led to the setting up of today’s ARB Apex Bank, a mini central bank for the RCBs, and the operationalisation of RCBs nation wide.

Mr Asiedu-Mante published a book on rural banking titled ‘Rural Banking in Ghana’ in 2011.

In December last year, the Association of Rural Banks honoured him for his stellar contributions to their industry’s success at the fourth Rural Banking Excellence Awards in Koforidua.

He was also often referred to as the rural banking encyclopedia due his vast knowledge and experience on the sector.

Mr Asiedu-Mante was also a present and revered voice on national issues, especially those pertaining to banking and the economy.