Sunyani (Brong Ahafo) - Nana Kwadwo Seinti, Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, on Tuesday lauded the lofty achievements of the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) but asked it to address its problems affecting banking operations.

''Customers of the bank continue to complain about lack of good service despite all the computers it has'', he said. Speaking at the Bank's 50th Anniversary photo exhibition, Seinti said the bank was coincidentally celebrating its Golden Jubilee "in this era of Golden Age of Business" and this must encourage it to constantly review its operations to face the challenges.

These challenges include developing young entrepreneurs, growing new businesses and creating new jobs through appropriate credit delivery mechanisms, he said. Nana Seinti said he expected the bank to particularly deepen its financial intermediation by stepping up deposit mobilization and going into viable ventures to support economic growth.

"Specifically, the bank must develop strategies to mop up the massive funds outside the banks and in custody of individual farmers, traders, artisans and others in the informal sector and channel them to support private sector initiatives."

The Regional Minister appealed to the GCB to develop and introduce new and innovative products that would make it gain advantage over its competitors and continue to maintain its position as the leading commercial bank in Ghana and Africa.

He said another area that the GCB would have to be proactive "is the development of products to support the government's poverty reduction strategy." ''With its 15 branches in Brong Ahafo it could be the grease that would lubricate the poverty reduction and wealth creation interventions of government in the region,'' Nana Seinti said. Ebenezer Kwame Ntreh, Area Manager of the bank, read a message from Mrs Matilda Obeng-Ansong, Managing Director of the bank at the function.