A six-week Intensive Computer Training Course for seventeen selected branch Managers and Secretaries of Rural Banks from the Ashanti, Brong Ahafo, Central and the Western Regions has opened in Kumasi. The training course which is the first of its kind in the Rural Banking sector, is being organised by the National Association of Rural Banks in conjunction with DANIDA. It is aimed at introducing participants into general computerisation system, spread sheet , word processing and banking package. Opening it, the President of the Ashanti Chapter of the Association of Rural Banks, Baffour Appiah Dankwa, said the computer training programme which is long overdue, is an innovation in the Rural Banking System. He said it will help the Rural Banks compete effectively with the traditional banks. He said it will also enable the Rural Banks to produce and package new products for their numerous customers to further enhance growth in the Rural Banking system. A Management Information Consultant at the National Association of the Rural Banks, Mr.. Robert Cudjoe, said the second phase of the training programme will focus on cashiers and accountants to enhance their operations. End