Mr Awudu Hayatudeen, General Manager and Secretary to the Board told the Ghana News Agency in interview ahead of the bank’s annual general meeting that majority, about 70 per cent of the loan beneficiaries were market women and peasant farmers.

“This is an achievement which was recognised by independent bodies in recent times. It will interest our stakeholders to know that the Bank has received two awards at the 2017 Ghana Agribusiness Investment Summit held at the Kempinski Gold Coast City Hotel, Accra,” Mr Hayatudeen said.

The awarding institution, USAID FinGAP arrived at the conclusion, when it recognised the Builsa Community Bank as being ‘the Best Bank for financing the greatest number of agribusiness Small, Medium including Large Scale Enterprises (SMiLEs) nationwide in the Rice, Maize and Soy Value Chains; and also the Best Bank for financing the greatest number of female-led agribusiness SMiLEs nationwide in the rice, maize and soy value chains.

The annual general meeting, (AGM) the seventeenth of the Bank, will be held at the Azenero Social Centre, Sandema, on Saturday, 22nd July, 2017 at 1000 hours.

At the meeting, shareholders would receive the report of the Chairman of the Board of Directors, consider and adopt the financial statements of the Bank for the year ended 31st December, 2016,  elect new Directors in place of those retiring, authorise the Directors to fix the remuneration of the Auditors, approve Directors Allowances/Fees, and to transact any other business appropriate.

    Mr Hayatudeen announced that every shareholder would be entitled to attend and vote at the meeting or appoint a proxy to attend and vote on their behalf.

   On other corporate social responsibility activities, Mr Hayatudeen said the bank donated 100 Bags of Cement for the renovation of the District Police Station in Sandema, spent an amount of GH¢4,500.00 to repair the Fumbisi District Police vehicle, to aid patrols in the District, and donated laboratory equipment to the Kanjarga Health Centre worth over GH¢6,000.00.

The bank also donated to the government in support of the Annual Farmers’ Day Celebration in Builsa North and Builsa South District Assemblies, the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly, Upper East  Regional Co-ordinating Council.

It also donated a new motorbike to the Yagaba Police Station, and assisted brilliant but needy students at the secondary and tertiary school levels and has acquired a piece of land for the construction of the bank’s permanent structure in Bolgatanga.

   On achievements during the year, Mr Hayatudeen said all was set for the bank to become one of the first regional community banks  nationwide to deploy ATM services for its clientele.

   It was adjudged by the Association of Rural Banks Ghana (ARB) as the “Second Runners- Up – Loan Financing Category” at the Second Edition of the RCBs Excellence Awards Night held at Winneba in November 2016.

   It also registered and paid over 20,000 LEAP beneficiaries in more than six Districts in collaboration with GhIPSS and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the highest number of beneficiaries handled by a single financial institution nationwide.

   It is also partnering the government of Ghana in the implementation of ‘the Planting for Food and Jobs’ in the Builsa North and Builsa South Districts.