Agona Nyakrom (C/R), Aug 13, GNA - The Nyakrom Rural Bank in the Agona District of the Central Region, granted a total of 3,555,212,000 billion cedis to 4082 beneficiaries mainly women to expand their businesses from January to June this year under its micro finance programme.

Dr Samuel Dufu, Chairman of the Board of Directors, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency(GNA) in an interview at the Board's monthly meeting at Agona Nyakrom.

He said the Bank operated three credit facilities; they are loans and overdraft, Kwejis and the Women in Development(WID) aimed at alleviating poverty especially confronting women in rural areas. Dr Dufu gave the break down as loans and overdrafts, 1,968,981,000 cedis, which went to 506 people mainly women, 107 groups mostly women had 1079331000 under the Kwejis facility and 118 people had 506,900,000 cedis under the WID programme.

He said that about 80 percent of the beneficiaries were women 20 went to men.

The Chairman of the Board stressed that the Bank had 12 operational areas, which covered Agona Abodom, Agona Odoben, Agona Swedru, Winneba in the Awutu-Effutu-Senya district, Agona Asafo, Kwansakrom, Nkum, Gomoa Asiebu, Gomoa Afranse, Gomoa Aboso, Gomoa Akropong and Gomoa Ekwamkrom and Agona Nyakrom

Dr Dufu stated that apart from trading, loans contracted were used in the transport sector, grass cutter rearing, pig rearing, cocoa rehabilitation, crop farming, payment of school fees, oil palm plantation and processing and to promote small and medium scale businesses.

He stated that recovery rate was encouraging and appealed to the Non governmental organisations, MPs and the District Assembly to channel some of their funds to the bank for disbursement to women's groups.