The Association of Community Banks (ACB), Ghana, has contributed greatly to the economic transformation of the country for the past 50 years, providing direct employment to over 30,000 people currently.
This is apart from the payment of taxes, undertaking Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects, providing loans to small and medium enterprises, among other financial obligations members of the association have undertaken.
“We have made a lot of contributions over the years.
Apart from the financial services that we are in, we give support to farmer-based organisations to improve their activities. We also provide direct employment. We do CSR in our communities.
Support
“So, we help provide police posts for most of our communities.
We provide support in the area of health, among others,” the Executive Director of the ACB, Solomon Amankwah, said ahead of the 50th anniversary celebration of the association.
The ACB, which is set to mark its Golden Jubilee celebration, has about 147 rural and community banks in the country, with over 1,000 agencies or branches.
The celebration would be held in Takoradi in the Western Region from November 19 - 22, 2026.
The event would be held on the theme: “Celebrating 50 Years of Community Banking: Honouring the Past and Building the Future”.
Mr Amankwah said the celebration would be attended by a host of dignitaries including the Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, who would be the special guest of honour; the Omanhen of the Essikado Traditional Area, Nana Kobina Nketia; the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Johnson Pandit Asiama; the Second Deputy Governor, BoG, Matilda Asante-Asiedu as well as industry players.
The grand durbar, he said, to be attended by the dignitaries on the first day would be followed by a business meeting the next day and an awards ceremony.
Awards
He said the Rural Bank Excellence Awards would see 36 banks, individuals and organisations receiving honours from the 30 categories of awards that would be presented.
Mr Amankwah said on the night, the association would also honour the pioneers of rural and community banks in the country.
“We have a few of them still alive who started the movement way back in the years, especially one, Dr Samuel Dufu, who, from the side of the association, started the first community rural bank in the country,” he emphasised.
Mr Amankwah said, looking at the association’s existence and remarkable achievement and improvement the banks had brought to the communities in which they operated, they had thus far “exhibited the commitment and the assurance that the general public and our community members have in us because we have demonstrated resilience over the years”.
“We've also contributed to CSR projects in the community in which we operate, some in the areas of education, in the areas of health, in the areas of security and also in the areas of assisting farmer-based institutions and farmer-based organisations,” he emphasised.
On corporate taxes, Mr Amankwah said that was one issue affecting the industry and that the association would be glad if it was reduced from 25 per cent to below 20 per cent.
Prior to 2016, we were paying eight per cent corporate tax and then it was raised from eight per cent to 25 per cent.
But looking at where we operate, I think we would be glad to have an incentive to motivate us to operate in the rural areas.
Because all our members operate in areas in which the commercial banks would not ordinarily operate.’
He said the reforms by the BOG had come in at the right time for the association to change the way it does its business.
Mr Amankwa said the future was bright for the ACB, especially with the change of name to be appealing to the younger generation, among others.
