Mr Alex Tettey-Enyo, Minister of Education, has asked banking institutions to fulfil their commitment to the public by hiring professionals to deliver better services to their clients.
He said bankers were expected to be people of integrity, having positive attitudes, confidence, clear sense of purpose and respect for their customers.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said this in a speech read for him by Major M.S. Tara (Rtd), Chief Director of the Ministry of Education at the first congregation and graduation ceremony of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIB) Ghana in Accra on Saturday.
He said the institute was a professional body for banks and financial institutions with the aim to provide the stimulus for the development of competent and more qualified human resources in the sector.
"The training will enable banks to offer efficient and competitive service to meet the sophisticated demands and satisfaction of their clients," the Minister said.
Mr Tettey-Enyo noted that the course content and structure was streamlined along the requirements of the Alliance of African Institute of Bankers to gain global recognition and that the CIB Ghana was also a member of the World Conference of Banking Institute.
He commended the institute for being the only professional body that offered education in Banking and Finance in the country.
Mr Tettey-Enyo said the Ministry of Education existed to carry out government's vision of using quality education delivery to accelerate the nation's socio-economic development.
He said plans developed to improve on quality education included expanding access to education at all levels, providing and improving infrastructural facilities in educational establishment and making tertiary education more cost effective.
"It is expected you will live the ethics of your profession. You need not do anything that will bring your profession into disrepute. We expect you to be honest in whatever you do," Mr Tettey-Enyo advised the graduands.
Mr Anthony Oppong, Chief Executive Officer of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, said discussions were ongoing to introduce a degree programme in the institute.
He said a new centre of the institute had been opened at Kumasi to address examination problems of students in the northern zone.
He noted that the students graduating this year were divided into intermediate and final category.
He urged the graduands to use the opportunity to establish their own businesses in other areas not necessarily in the financial sector.
Various categories of awards were presented to students who performed creditably in different subjects.
Mr Edmond Tetteh Martey, a staff of First Atlantic Merchant Bank Limited, was adjudged the overall best student and was presented with the Bank of Ghana Prize.