The New Face of the Agricultural Development Bank

The Agricultural Development Bank, adb, has revealed its new, fresher and more energized corporate identity which communicates the uniqueness and promise of offering simple and professional services to their customers and all other stakeholders.

Its new logo has its initials, adb, written in small letters with a wave of two shades of green on the letter, a. The colour of the top wave is heritage green and that of the bottom wave is future green. The Bank's name is written in full in small letters at the bottom of the initials. The Bank also has a new strapline which emphasizes on their core business while clearly stating their preparedness to offer more than their area of specialisation. The new strapline '�truly agric and more' comes at the bottom of the bank's name.

The new logo is designed with simplicity, symmetry and harmony to evoke warmth and trust and bring it into the contemporary world, thus, the use of the lower case.

Set up in 1965 and with 92 branches in all the 10 regions of Ghana, adb provides over 35% of total funding for Ghana's agricultural sector.

In 2010, adb was recognized as the Agribusiness Bank of the Year in Africa by Africa Investor and Bank of the Year in Ghana by the Chartered Institute of Marketing Ghana in 2010 and 2011.

In 2013 alone, the Bank won 15 awards locally and internationally. These included 4 awards at the 2013 Ghana Banking Awards Ceremony in the Medium Term Loan Financing, Agric Financing, Competitive Pricing and Corporate Social Responsibility categories. The international awards include the B.I.D Platinum Award for Quality and Excellence in New York, the Other Ways Management Golden Award for Quality and Business Prestige in Rome and the European Business Assembly Achievements 2013 Award in London. Altogether, ADB has won over 30 prestigious international awards conferred across the globe between 2010 and 2013.

Giving the keynote address at the rebranding ceremony, the Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr Kweku Ricketts Hagan, said that the rebranding will enable adb attract new customers and widen their foot print in the banking industry.

He said that adb has been closely involved in virtually all national agricultural development programmes, projects and schemes undertaken by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and by various local and international donor organizations over the years.

He noted that since 2009, the Bank has undertaken transformational restructuring with a view to repositioning itself in the face of the challenges of operating as a universal bank. He said that the restructuring programme has also helped the bank to �balance its experience in ensuring effective outreach (that is, the provision of financial intermediation to a large number of small-scale operators in the agricultural sector) and the sustainability (that is, its long-term viability) of the bank.�

Mr Ricketts Hagan announced that the bank had requested for a public flotation to enable it bring on board more private capital so as to �increase its capacity to undertake financial intermediation on a larger scale, deepen its governance and safeguard the important identity of adb as an indigenous institution with mass appeal and attachment to the citizenry.� He said that the bank's request was receiving serious attention and that Government would very soon make its decision known.

Currently, government owns 52% shares with the remaining 48% held by the Financial Investment Trust on behalf of the Bank of Ghana.

Mr Rickett Hagan indicated that Ghana�s financial sector has evolved considerably over the past two decades. He said that new trends have provided us with new opportunities to create a dynamic financial system that best serves our economy.

In an address, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Nana Soglo Alloh IV, said that there has been a massive expansion in the Bank�s branch network with the creation of new e-banking channels which have extended the reach of the Bank and afforded greater customer convenience. He said that this was facilitated by an upgrade of the Bank�s IT operating system and infrastructure.

The Chairman explained that the injection of additional capital into the business of the Bank through floatation of part of the publicly held shares of the Bank and the aggressive recovery of debts owed by defaulting customers are required to expand the Bank�s business frontiers, open more branch locations, venture into new channels and make its banking products accessible to more Ghanaians.

In a welcome address, the Managing Director of adb, Mr Stephen Kpordzih said that from very humble beginnings and through very challenging circumstances, adb has become a formidable part of the aspirations of our country. He said that the launching of the new logo is part of a broader initiative to clearly define adb as a modern institution and set out a new ambition for the future.