By Ewoenam Kpodo, GNA
Ho, July 21, GNA – GCB Bank has been urged to demonstrate stronger corporate responsibility in Keta and the wider Anlo area, after more than 50 years of operation in the area.
Mrs Enyonam Adzo Apetorgbor, the Chief Executive Officer of Keta Investment and Promotion Centre (KIPC) in a statement titled “Banking Keta for Decades, Yet Investing Too Little in Keta,” said GCB Bank had built a strong and profitable presence from the patronage of public servants, pensioners, traders, fisherfolk and businesses in the area.
The statement, however, questioned the visible community investment that had accompanied that commercial gain, saying many residents and customers struggle to identify major and continuous corporate social responsibility interventions associated with the Keta branch.
It said, “The issue is that a major national financial institution should demonstrate a deliberate, transparent and measurable commitment to the community that has sustained it for generations.”
The statement argued that modern corporate citizenship went beyond taking deposits and granting loans, urging the bank to work with the Keta Municipal Assembly, traditional authorities and market leaders, to improve the environment around its branch by managing drainage systems, street lighting, sanitation, as well as disability accesses and landscaping.
It also proposed a Keta Market Enterprise and Financial Inclusion Programme to support traders with financial literacy, affordable working capital, digital payments, microinsurance and targeted aid for women and youth-owned businesses.
The statement said the call should extend to all major businesses in Keta and Anlo constituencies including hotels, telecoms, fuel stations and supermarkets.
“Businesses cannot continue to derive revenue, labour, land, patronage and goodwill from a community while treating local development as somebody else’s responsibility,” it said.
Given Keta’s vulnerability to tidal waves, erosion and flooding, the statement urged GCB Bank and other large institutions to support a Keta-Anlo Disaster Resilience and Recovery Facility for emergency relief and recovery finance.
It recommended that Bank convene a stakeholder forum to develop a five-year Keta and Anlo Community Impact Programme focused on market modernisation, financial inclusion, disaster resilience, education, youth enterprise and environmental improvement.
“This is not a call for hostility towards GCB Bank or any investor. It is a call for a higher standard of corporate conduct.”
“Keta and Anlo welcome legitimate investment, but investment must be responsible. Commercial presence without meaningful local partnership is no longer enough,” the statement said.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/ Christabel Addo
Reporter: Ewoenam Kpodo, GNA
Email: [email protected]