The Board Chairman of Amenfiman Rural Bank at Wassa Akropong, Dr. Toni Aubynn, has appealed to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to channel the District Assemblies’ Common Fund and other District Assembly funds through the rural banks for disbursement to the Assemblies. This, he said, is because the rural banks’ activities are directly linked to the development aspirations of the people in the rural communities. Dr. Aubynn said it is worrying that in some districts where rural banks are the only financial institutions, monies to the District Assemblies Common Fund are still channeled through the already endowed commercial banks in the cities and the people have to travel several miles to withdraw funds for their activities. Another challenge he mentioned is the issue of highway robbery which has characterised the Bank’s operational territories recently, especially on the main Enchi to Kumasi road. This, he said, has resulted in loss of substantial amounts of money and in some cases loss of lives. He said the Bank's customers from Enchi through Samreboi, Asankrangwa, Manso Amenfi, Bawdie, Prestea and Wassa Akropong, who have been victims of these robbery incidents, have made various suggestions to the Board to open a branch in Kumasi to save them from such attacks. “I am happy to say that management and the board is seriously working with Bank of Ghana to open a branch at Santasi in Kumasi to facilitate your business activities,” he assured customers. Dr. Aubynn was speaking at the official opening of Manso Amenfi branch office of the Amenfiman Rural Bank recently, and this brings to ten the number of branches currently being operated by the Bank. Amenfiman Rural Bank Limited is the first rural bank opened in the Western Region, in 1980. The Bank has grown tremendously during the years to become a leading rural bank, not only in the region but also the country. The mission of the Bank from the outset has been to provide innovative and first class banking services to the people in and outside Wassa Amenfi, and to ensure that the activities of the Bank impact positively on the living standards of the people in its operational territories. Currently, Amenfiman Rural Bank is one of the leading rural banks in Ghana -- ranking fourth as the most profitable rural bank today out of about 135 rural and community banks in Ghana, and second in the Western Region out of 13 rural banks. The Bank is well¬ positioned and resourced to deliver the essential banking services necessary to accelerate the socio-economic development of the people of Manso Amenfi in particular and the country as a whole. The Bank is currently providing bursaries and scholarships to quite a number of brilliant but needy students in the second cycle institutions both within Wassa Amenfi and elsewhere in the country. In addition, a lot of funds are devoted annually to support education, health, farming, Farmers' Day celebrations and provision of security within the Bank's operational areas.