The Bawku East Small-Scale Farmers' Association (BESSFA) Rural Bank in the Garu-Tempane District in the Upper East Region is to take its loan defaulters to court to seek repayment of outstanding loans. Several attempts made by the management of the bank to encourage defaulters to repay their loans had yielded no result hence the decision to seek the face of the law. The Board Chairman of the Bank, Mr. Solomon Atiga, who disclosed this during the 18th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Bank in Garu, the district capital, said the bank even had to approach the chiefs and elders in the various communities where some of the defaulters reside in order to get them to repay but that approach also failed. He indicated that as a result of the number of defaulters in the repayment of loans, the bank could not grant loans and advances this year and that loans and advances for 2007 decreased from 764,154 to 731,055 Ghana Cedis in 2008. He indicated that in spite of the challenges, the bank also chalked up some level of successes and said deposits increased from 1,854,589 in 2007 to 2, 665,482 in 2008. Mr. Atiga said the bank's total assets increased to 3,894,667 in 2008 from 3,334,641 Ghana cedis in 2007. He stated that the bank is to streamline its strategies in giving out credits but would have to sensitize beneficiaries on how to improve credit delivery and utilization. Under the programme, beneficiaries would form groups that would be taken through some education modules before granting them credit. He said the bank had also lived up to its social responsibility by contributing towards the farmers' day celebration, the Samanpiid Festival, and peace building programmes in the Bawku area among others. Mr. Atiga indicated that a banking premise in Bawku was being constructed as an agency at the cost of 300,000.00 Ghana cedis. He commended organizations including Integrated Development Centre (ISODEC), Presbyterian Church, Catholic Mission, Felix Foundation, CORDAID, Municipal and District Assemblies among others for supporting the Bank in its operations. Mr. Sule Agholisi, President of North Eastern Chapter of the Rural and Community Banks, appealed to the shareholders of the bank to re-evaluate and increase their shares holdings to increase the capital base of the Bank., The Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Mrs. Lucy Awuni, commended the Bank for its role in assisting people in the area with credit facilities to undertake businesses to improve upon their living conditions. She entreated the Banks to make conditions more flexible and favourable to attract more customers and said Government was much interested in Public -Private Partnership which accounts for the springing up of Banks in the country. The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Garu-Tempane, Mr. David Adakudugu, said the District had been able to implement a number of projects with the support from BESSFA and stressed the need for more collaboration between the two entities to accelerate the development of the area. Source: GNA.