Wenchi (Ash), July 23, GNA - Rural communities, especially cocoa farmers and small-scale businessmen have been encouraged to take advantage of the various government interventions, which aim at strengthening rural economies and source for loans from the rural banks.

Mr. Johnny Achibra, Senior Manager of the Asante-Akyem Rural Bank at Juansah in the Asante-Akim North District of Ashanti, who stated this, said this would help to reduce the poverty level in the rural areas. He was speaking at the donation of three million cedis by the bank to the Wenchi Presbyterian Primary School towards the construction of a canteen for the school on Friday.

Mr. Achibrah said the rural banking concept was introduced principally for the rural people to benefit from banking services, through access to loans, which otherwise they cannot get from the commercial banks in the cities and urban areas and therefore, asked the rural people to patronise the banks.

Mr. Sandys Kyei Baffour, secretary to the bank's board, said it was the responsibility of rural banks to support communities in which they operated in the areas of education, health, electricity, water, roads, agriculture and rural enterprise.

He said the bank had so far, spent about 160 million cedis on the education of 20 students, some of whom were in the universities. Dr Lord Justice Gyamfi-Fenteng, the Asante-Akim South District Chief Executive, said the bank had been of tremendous help to the district and urged the school authorities to ensure that the money was used for the purpose for which it was given, adding that, it would relieve the assembly of some of its responsibilities.