Dr Jakpasu V.K. Afun, Rector of Ho Polytechnic Saturday asserted that Polytechnic Education provides the surest antidote to graduate unemployment in the country. He therefore advised parents and guardians to encourage and sponsor their children to the Polytechnics to be trained towards becoming self-made men and women. Dr Afun was welcoming delegates to the 2012 World Credit Union Day and Year of Co-operatives held in the Polytechnic’s auditorium in Ho on the theme: “Members matter most.” He said less than 10 per cent of the group, described as unemployed graduates association were from the Polytechnics. Dr Afun said parents and guardians therefore have the choice of either continuing to bear the burden of looking after their unemployed graduate children at home or enjoy seeing them gainfully employed and fending for themselves. He said he would have encouraged and sponsored his children to acquire polytechnic education if he had the opportunity. On the importance of the Credit Unions movement, Dr Afun said it has proved to be relevant in transforming the lives of many people in the country and raising them up the social ladder. He therefore urged the delegates to the celebration to “plant the Credit Union seed in the Polytechnic”. The Credit Union idea was introduced in the then Gold Coast by Reverend Father John McNulty, an Irish Canadian Catholic Priest in September 1955. That saw the formation of the first Credit Union in Jirapa, now Upper West Region in that year as the premier credit union in Africa, the Volta Regional Director of Education, Mr Emmanuel Keteku said in his keynote address to the delegates. He said becoming Bishop of Wa in 1960, the late Bishop Dery formed other credit unions in the Parish and was commended by President Kwame Nkrumah as “doing a good service to Ghana and I encourage you to continue it”. Mr Keteku therefore reminded the leadership of the Credit Union Association (CUA) in Ghana to put the satisfaction of every member as topmost priority and educate their employees to respect such members and accord them every courtesy when they called at their offices. “The overall atmosphere and the personal connection of a member with your union are what bind the member to your union. It is this combination that makes an exceptional member’s experience. “Customer experience will decide the winners and losers in the years ahead, because excellent customer experiences are still so novel that, when we have one, we talk about it,” Mr Keteku said. Mr Yaw Assua-Yeboah, Chairman of CUA expressed gratitude to past and present National Boards and Managements of the Association for working hard to put the Legislative Instrument (LI) on CUA before Parliament. He said with collaborative efforts the association would ensure the passage of the LI.” Mr Assua-Yeboah urged the Chapters of the association to ensure that the Primary Societies honour their obligations punctually. He urged the Chapters to impress on the Primary Societies that with the exception of CUA dues all other “obligations are investments which serve as financial security in times of need”. Mr Assua-Yeboah appealed to members of the Association to help educate the public to ensure peaceful elections on December 7. A report on CUA’s programmes, products and services indicated that there is a total of 408 Credit Unions in the country as at June 30, 2011 with a total membership of 366,136. Thirty eight (38) out of the 408 credit unions were described as viable with total deposits (savings and shares) standing GHȼ253,218,980 with assets worth GHȼ288,595,566. Outstanding loans stand at GHȼ157,132,619 with delinquent loans that are 30 days and over amounting to GHȼ22,791,241 and a total liquidity reserve standing at 28 per cent.