The Eastern Gomoa Assin Rural Bank has disbursed more than 5.3 billion cedis to about 2,000 women groups to expand their businesses this year, Mr Ibrahim Mobashir, General Manager has stated. He said a mechanism to recover debts was yielding positive results. Mr Mobashir said this at the end of a one-week management training organized by the Human and Environmental Provision Organisation (HEPO), a management consultancy in micro-finance based at Agona Swedru. The Manager stated that even though the Bank had been involved in micro financing for more than five years successfully it had started facing some challenges when it began to expand. Topics treated included micro finance operation, product development and management, managerial leadership development and preparation of micro finance unit strategic plan. Mr Mobashir said studies conducted in the bank’s area of operation revealed that there were more potential clients in terms of credit delivery and savings mobilization. He appealed to donor agencies and Gomoa District Assembly to channel funds through the Bank for disbursement. Mr Alexander Esua-Mensah, Director of HEPO and a Resource Person, said the training formed part of a three-year micro-finance organisational development programme to restructure the portfolio. He said the training of the Managers and top officials of the Bank would go a long way to improve savings mobilisation and micro-finance operation to give credit to its customers. Source: GNA