ARB Apex Bank has honoured three former board chairmen for their contribution to the development of the bank over the years.
They are Dr Sam Dufu, who was chairman of the bank from 2007 until 2009; Francis Akoto, board chairman from 2013 to 2015 and James Kwame Otieku, who chaired the board from 2016 until 2019.
They were each presented with a memento and an undisclosed sum.
The three were honoured at the bank's Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols during the Yuletide in Accra.
In a media interaction, the Managing Director, Alex Kwasi Awuah, said the three personalities had played instrumental roles over the years, hence the need to recognise their contributions.
He said such great persons led the bank to ensure stability "all these years for us to achieve all the things we have been achieving".
The ARB Apex Bank arrangement, he said, was only found in the country and so for those great people to lead the institution to "this great heights, we believe that it is time for us to give recognition to all the work that they did and also to draw inspiration for their work. And we believe strongly that with the foundation that they laid, we can also do better. ARB Apex Bank would continue to give better services through the rural banks to the people of Ghana".
On the performance of the bank last year, Mr Awuah said largely, it was a good year.
He said coming from the challenges in 2022 with the government's debt restructuring programme (DDEP), it had been good.
"We are recovering but we can also see that the recovery pace has been very fast and so we thank God for all the good things that we have been able to do," he said.
He expressed the hope that the bank would repeat its good performance last year this year.
In a homily, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt. Rev. Dr Abraham Opare Kwakye, said there was the need to thank God for what he had done in the lives of families in 2023.
"But there have also been times that we have faced some challenges. There have been difficulties at home and at work - sometimes challenges with health and yet in all these things, God has been with us," he said.
The Head of Corporate Affairs of the bank, Maximus Attah, said the bank served the deprived community of the country.
He said it was the expectation of the bank that 2024 would be better for all rural banks.
He wished the rural banks the best of this year and expressed the hope that their operations would improve so that they could serve people better.