Christian Community Fund Launched

Stakeholders discussing the benefits of the funds

A mutual fund aimed at helping Christians to attain financial empowerment and security through a diversified long term saving vehicle among others was on Friday launched in Accra.

The fund, dubbed Christian Community Mutual Fund Limited (CCMF), is said to deepen financial intermediation in Ghana by adding another high growth investment product and promote a culture of financial planning and savings among Christians and the general public.

The Fund, which is an open–ended balanced mutual fund that does not have any limits on the total number of investors, is created to provide financial empowerment to Christians and other denominations by providing a high-yielding medium to long-term investment vehicle.

Launching the Fund, Rev. Dr. Nii Amu Darko, Vice President of the Ghana Baptist Convention called on christians to learn to use money acquired under God's blessings judiciously.

Rev. Darko, who is also a member of the Council of State, stressed that many Christians found it difficult to prudently spend their funds and said it was appropriate for such people to use such money to buy shares.

According to him, Christian leaders could also use funds acquired from church activities to buy shares for future development of the church.

He explained that the CCMF would also provide each unit holder access to professional fund management services and expose them to alternative investment opportunities in sectors such as real estate and private equity.

The CCMF has a team of fund management professionals with a proven track record of successfully managing third party funds.

It is being managed by the Black Star Advisors (BSA) sponsored by Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) and has Barclays Bank Ghana Limited as custodians of the fund.

The fund is said to be different from other mutual funds as its managers choose investment opportunities that are consistent with Christian Beliefs and Values.

Due to the caliber of the managers, Christians are said to have hope and rest assured that their money would be invested in companies and products that are consistent with the values they cherish.

The minimum initial subscription one needs to get started is GH¢10.00 and holders are urged to obtain cash from their investment at any point in time.

One could start investing by walking into any Barclays Bank's branch for a subscription form or by contacting a registered receiving agent of CCMF.

By Stella Danso Addai