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The Asantehene Otumfuo Osei-Tutu II has inaugurated the first Energy Bank-powered Automated Teller Machine within the precincts of the Manhyia Palace. Coinciding with Otumfuo�s Teacher�s Awards Ceremony on Monday, the Asantehene on his way to the durbar grounds stopped and joined officials of Energy Bank to unveil the ATM of Energy Bank designed to bring quality banking services closer to the royal grounds, the people of Manhyia and beyond. The bank strategically opened the bank to also commemorate Otumfuo�s sixty-second birthday. The Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer for Energy Bank, Sam Ayininuola, said the ATM will serve as a mini-bank that will be expanded with time to the level of an Agency at the Palace to bring exceptional banking services to the doorstep of the royals, staff of the Palace as well as people living and working around the Manhyia area. Established in 2009, Energy Bank commenced banking business on 22 February 2011, following the opening of its head-office by President John Atta Mills. It now boasts four branches and is competing strongly on the banking scene. Mr. Sam Ayininuola is happy that the bank had a very successful first year of operation. He said that much as there are many banks already established in Ghana, the bank has acquired many corporate and private customers after such a short period of operation -- which he said is proof of its quality service and expertise. The bank is still expanding its branch network and is expected to deploy more ATMs as well as open new branches in other regions of the country before the year ends. Representatives of the Chinese and Brazilian governments in the country have challenged government to enhance growth in the agriculture sector in order to make development issues more meaningful to the larger population. The Brazilian Ambassador to Ghana, Irene Gala, and the Chief of Staff the Chinese Embassy in Ghana, Ji Haojun, commented at the maiden edition of the Ghana Economic Forum in Accra that there is need to encourage both local and foreign participation in agriculture by resolving the bottlenecks in land acquisition. �My observation about Ghana is that there is so much land lying idle. At the same time, many people are rushing to the cities and going abroad and the country is importing many food-stuffs; and that is very strange. �If you cannot feed yourself, there is nothing like development to talk about. There is need to improve on agriculture,� said Mr. Haojun.