Kumasi, April 12, GNA - Management of Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) has pledged its commitment and continued financial support to the poultry industry in-spite of the threat of the Avian Influenza (bird flu) which had already crippled the industry in the country. Mr K. Adu-Gyamfi, General Manager in-charge of Loans and Advances of the bank, who stated this, said even though the bird flu scare had badly affected the poultry industry resulting in the lock up of billions of cedis of loans and advances made to poultry farmers in the country, the bank would not abandon the industry.

He made the pledge when presenting a cheque for 100 million cedis to the Faculty of Agriculture of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi on Wednesday. The donation was in fulfilment of a promise made by the bank to support the faculty to improve its infrastructure. Mr Adu-Gyamfi advised Ghanaians to continue to patronize poultry products to save the industry from total collapse. He announced that the bank had earmarked 1.6 trillion cedis to support agriculture in the country this year. In addition, the bank had also initiated a young farmers' programme, to assist young graduates from schools and colleges to venture into agriculture. Professor S.A. Osei, Provost of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, mentioned inadequate classrooms, ICT facilities, overcrowded libraries, old and dilapidated farm structures, lack of means of transport for field and practical work as some of the problems facing the faculty.

He said the faculty had 500 hectares of arable land lying fallow, meat and diary processing facilities that needed to be rehabilitated and commercial hatchery, which needed urgent repairs and called on the bank to collaborate with the faculty in joint ventures to run some of these potentially profitable projects.

Professor R.T. Awuah, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, thanked the bank and said the donation was made when the university had initiated measures to encourage faculties to partner with industry and the private sector for resource mobilization.

He said the partnership would not only enhance the faculty's activities but would also impact positively on the image of the bank as a premier agricultural financial institution in Ghana

Professor Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa, Pro Vice Chancellor of the University, expressed appreciation to the bank for the gesture and appealed to management of the bank to institute scholarships to assist needy students and also accept students from the faculty to undertake internship with the bank.