Sunday, January 6, 2008

IMPORTERS, EXPORTERS TO BENEFIT FROM PACKAGES (Page 23)

Story: Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Takoradi

Importers, exporters and those involved in small and medium scale businesses in the Western Region are to benefit from
various packages being introduced by the International Commercial Bank (ICB).
The Managing Director of the bank, Mr L.K. Ganapathiraman, who announced this at the launch of the 11th branch in the Western Region, said the bank’s products in the areas of traditional, specialised banking products, import loan, among others, would go a long way to bring relief to its existing and prospective clients.
He said customers in today’s business had become very sophisticated, adding that there was the need to ensure that every product that was being offered was of value.
He said the branches of the bank were all networked to ensure that customers transacted business at every branch of the bank across the country.
Mr Ganapathiraman said apart from the commercial banking services, the bank had also introduced easy import loan for those who were already in trade related areas and needed funds to clear their goods at the ports.
He said the bank was aware of the kind of problems importers went through in their quest to secure funds to clear their goods from the ports.
“This facility is geared towards lifting the burden of customers paying demurrages for their imports which could have been avoided if they have easy access to funds,” he said.
In his remark, the second Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, said with the passage of the Credit Reporting Act, the Bank of Ghana expected to license the first credit reference bureaux by the first quarter of 2008.
Dr Bawunia commended the ICB for its quest to reach out to other parts of the country, and added that the opening of the new branch was timely.

No comments: