Physically challenged loans beneficiaries commended

Awutu Bawjiase (CR), Sept. 6, GNA - Physically challenged persons in the Awutu Effutu-Senya District who benefited from the Poverty Alleviation Scheme have been commended for the prompt re-payment of their loans.

Mr Solomon Kwashie Abbam-Quaye, District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area made the commendation at the 15th Annual Shareholders Meeting of the Awutu Bawjiase Area Rural Bank at the weekend.

Mr Abbam-Quaye expressed regret that while the physically challenged loan beneficiaries were rushing to honour their obligations, almost 98 per cent of the able bodied persons who collected various sums from the Scheme had failed to pay back the loans they collected. The DCE said the persistent refusal of the defaulters had affected the Scheme to meet its obligation as a revolving financial project. He announced that there were about 2,000 physically challenged in the District and asked rural banks in the area to consider the skilled ones among them for financial assistance to enable them to pursue their respective economic goals for decent living.

Mr J.E. Nkrumah, Chairman of the Central Region Chapter of the Association of Rural and Community Banks, announced that prospective loan seekers might in future be compelled to provide medical certificates to prove that they were not infected with the dreaded HIV/AIDS disease before they would be granted loans. He said the move, which some banks had already introduced, was to ensure that the people who collected loans from the banks were HIV/AIDS free so that they could re-pay their loans without any problem regarding their health.