The Agricultural Development Bank PLC (ADB) plans to increase its 86-networked locations nationwide to about 100 as part of a strategy to extend its services closer to all Ghanaians.

The 14 new branches are to be cited in small towns and villages especially in the newly created regions by the end of the year to increase the bank’s presence and serve the needs of its increasing customers.

The Managing Director, Dr John Kofi Mensah, announced this at a customer appreciation dinner held in Accra on Friday to convey the bank’s gratitude for the loyalty and support of its clientele.

It was a night of music, food, networking, and a few short speeches with sporadic applause for customers.

“We are trying to expand the bank’s outlets into all the small towns and villages. We are using technology to reach all the facets of Ghana, but at the same time the physical presence especially in small towns is important,” he said.

According to Dr Mensah, the bank deemed it important that the newly created regions easily got access to the bank thus had already set up branches in three with plans to ensure the rest were not left out.

Targeting rural areas, he said, would not only ensure that there were small branches in district capitals and other areas but would serve as additional support for the technology-based banking services it was offering nationwide.

 Additionally, he said the Bank would increase its Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) nationwide, having procured 14 brand new ones to replace obsolete ones in Accra last year.

Dr Mensah hinted that an “Entrepreneurships Building Scheme” would be outdoored this year to help groom the next generation of entrepreneurs.

“Those customers we have built to become very big in certain areas, we are bringing the youth closer to them so we create some form of jobs and training till they are also confident to be entrepreneurs and move up,” he said.

The MD described last year as a good year for the bank, marked by improvement over the previous one despite the post-COVID-19 challenges and provision of a lot of support to out-growers in the agribusiness.

 This year, he said shareholders, directors, and managers would be concentrating on mobilising resources for the agriculture sector because it was growing with increased demands for financial support.

“Quite a lot is needed for the industry. Ghana is consecrating on the value chain in the agribusiness sector, from crops to fisheries to perennial crops, therefore financial support is needed.  We want to be able to rise to the occasion,” he said.

Praising the clients, Dr Mensah said “As a business, the Agricultural Development Bank has become what it is today, thanks to your business relationship with us over the years, through the turbulent time, your loyalty has been persistent.”