Bank of Ghana

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Bank of Ghana
BANK OF GHANA LOGO.png
Bank of Ghana High Street.jpg
Headquarters Accra, Greater Accra, Ghana
Established1957;66 years ago (1957)
Ownership100% state ownership [1]
GovernorDr. Ernest Kwamina Yedu Addison
Central bank of Ghana
Currency Ghanaian cedi
GHS (ISO 4217)
Website www.bog.gov.gh

The Bank of Ghana (abbreviated asBoG) is the Central Bank of Ghana. It is located in Accra and was formed in 1957. [2] The Bank of Ghana has Seven Regional Offices in addition to its head office in Accra. The regional offices are located in the following cities, Hohoe, Kumasi, Suyani, Tamale, Takoradi, Bolgatanga, Wa. The regional offices are responsible for implementing the policies and directives of the Bank of Ghana in their respective regions. They also provide banking services to the government, financial institutions, and the public. [3]

Contents

The bank is active in developing financial inclusion policies and is a member of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion. [4] [5] [6]

Establishment of the Bank of Ghana

The Bank of Ghana was formally established on 4 March 1957, just two days before Ghana's declaration of political independence. [2] [7] [5] The British Parliament passed the Bank of Ghana Ordinance (No. 34) of 1957 to make it official. [2] By mid-July 1957, all necessary preparations were completed for the official inauguration of the Bank's new Head Office on High Street. [5]

Since 1957, the Bank of Ghana has experienced various legislative changes. [2] The original Bank of Ghana Ordinance (No.34) of 1957 was replaced by the Bank of Ghana Act (1963), Act 182, which was later amended by the Bank of Ghana (Amendment Act) 1965, (Act 282). Eventually, the Bank of Ghana Law, 1992 PNDCL 291, consolidated the legal framework for the bank by repealing both Acts 182 and 282. [6] [5]

History

Ghana economical inflation rate of change in percentage Ghana Economy - Inflation.jpg
Ghana economical inflation rate of change in percentage

The Central Bank of Ghana traces its roots to the Bank of the Gold Coast (BGC) or Ghana Commercial Bank, where it was nurtured. As soon as local politicians and economists saw political independence in sight in the mid-1950s the agitation for a central bank was revived. It was argued that a central bank was one institution which would give true meaning to political independence. It may be recalled that way back in 1947, some leading politicians had called for the establishment of a national bank, with central bank functions to act as banker to government and to cater for the indigenous sector of the economy. [8] [9]

Proposals of the advocates for a central bank were accepted and in early 1955, another select committee was set up by the government to take a new look at the Trevor Report and prepare the grounds for the establishment of a central bank in Ghana. The BGC had already set the stage for central banking: all that was needed was specially trained personnel in central banking and suitable accommodation for the bank to take off. [5]

By the end of 1956, all was set for the establishment of the Bank of Ghana. A new and modern five-storey building had been put up on the High Street, adjacent to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to house both the Bank of Ghana and the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB).

In March 2012, the Bank of Ghana announced it would be making specific commitments to financial inclusion under the Maya Declaration. [10] [11]

Governance of the Bank of Ghana

The first governor of the bank was Mr. Alfred Eggleston, [2] the former managing director of BGC and an accomplished Scottish banker on secondment to Ghana from the Imperial Bank of India. His deputy governor was one Mr. Douglas F. Stone, another renowned British central banker also on secondment from Bank of England.

The general administration of the bank was entrusted in the hands of a seven-member board of directors under the chairmanship of the governor. [5]

The first board was as follows:

  1. Alfred Eggleston, chairman
  2. Douglas F. Stone, deputy governor
  3. R. S. Blay, director
  4. N. T. Clerk, director
  5. C. E. Osei, director
  6. R. C. Parkin, director

The governor of the bank and his deputy were appointed by the governor of the Gold Coast on the recommendation of the prime minister, in accordance with Section 10 (1) of the 1957 Ordinance. The governor and his deputy were each appointed for a term of five years and were eligible for reappointment. Those two officials were answerable to the board for their acts and decisions in the course of general administration of the affairs of the bank. The board itself was also answerable to the Ministry of Finance for efficient management of the bank. The other directors of the board were also appointed by the Prime Minister with the approval of the governor of the Gold Coast for a term of three years, subject to renewal.

Governors

The following is a list of governors till date [12] [13] [14] [15]

Departments

In 1957, the bank commenced business with six main departments namely:

The governors' office was headed by the secretary to the board, while the other departments were headed by managers who reported directly to the deputy governor or in special cases to the governor. The departments were run by the managers in accordance, with policies and decisions arrived at by an in-house management accordance with policies arrived at by an in-house management committee comprising the governor, the deputy governor and three or four heads of department appointed by the governor. [6]

With that initial organisational arrangements, the Bank of Ghana assumed its central role in the banking system of Ghana, which then comprised the central bank, two expatriate commercial banks – the British Bank of West Africa (BBWA) (now Standard Chartered Bank) and Barclays Bank Limited (Dominion, Colonial and Overseas); and the new Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB).

There was also the Post Office Savings Bank (POSB), which was in fact, not a bank by definition; it was only an institution set up by the government to mobilize public savings through the agency of the numerous post offices in the country, for investment in government paper.

Relations with the other banks in the system were set out under sections 39 – 42 of the 1957 Ordinance. Initially, the relation were not very strong. The Central Bank was to act as banker to other banks and co-operate with them to promote and maintain adequate and reasonable banking services for the public. It was also to ensure high standards of conduct and management in the banking system. The bank was also given powers to require the banks to maintain a proportion of their assets in specified form and to submit monthly returns on their operation to the Central Bank. However, banking supervision or bank examination was not specifically highlighted in the Ordinance. [16]

Functions

As a Central Bank of Ghana, it function is as follows:

Bank of Ghana in the news

Lawsuits

Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom and the Others

In August 2019, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom and other individuals filed a lawsuit against the Bank of Ghana and other parties concerning the cancellation of the license of GN Bank/Savings. [17]

The Bank of Ghana disputed the High Court's jurisdiction by asserting that, as per the Banking Act, license revocation matters should be resolved through arbitration instead of court proceedings. [18]

Controversies

New Bank of Ghana Headquarters

In August 2023, the Bank of Ghana through a press briefing described with justificatons, its move to building a new 13-storey headquarters to replace its current building. The Bank of Ghana in Accra released a document on August 21, 2023, containing this disclosure. [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24]

The decision to build the new ediface was met with mixed reactions as the Minority in Parliament of Ghana and some Civil Society Organizations strongly opposed the new building, stating that such projects are unnecessary given the current economic situation of the country. [19] Consequently, they criticized the Governor of the Bank of Ghana and his deputies, urging them to step down and declared their plan to stage a protest at the Bank of Ghana on September 5, 2023, seeking the departure of these officials. [19] [25]

Other distinguished members of the society including the Dormaahene have also expressed their reservations towards the decision of the Bank of Ghana's leadership. [26] [27] [28]

On the other side, the Deputy Minister for Trade, Dr Stephen Amoah, called the action of those calling for the resignation of the governor as unnecessary. [29]

Awards and honours

In October 2020, the Bank of Ghana was adjudged the best central bank at the seventh Central Banking Awards. [30] [31]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Weidner, Jan (2017). "The Organisation and Structure of Central Banks" (PDF). Katalog der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bank of Ghana, Biography". ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  3. ↑ "Bank of Ghana – Central Bank". 12 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  4. ↑ "Alliance for Financial Inclusion – Members". 18 June 2019. Archived from the original on 20 February 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "About the Bank – Bank of Ghana" . Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 "Bank of Ghana, Biography". ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  7. ↑ "The Central Bank Of Ghana « Citizen-Capital" . Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  8. ↑ "What Is Next For The Banking Industry In Ghana?".
  9. ↑ "About the Bank – Bank of Ghana" . Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  10. ↑ "Bank of Ghana continues pledge to financial inclusion with Maya Declaration commitment". Alliance for Financial Inclusion | Bringing smart policies to life. 6 April 2012. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  11. ↑ "AFI's Gender Inclusive Finance Webinar on "Integrating Gender Considerations into COVID-19 Policy Solutions" – Opening Remarks by Governor, Dr. E.K Addison, Bank of Ghana". Alliance for Financial Inclusion | Bringing smart policies to life. 14 September 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  12. ↑ "BoG List of Gorvenors".
  13. ↑ Bank of Ghana. "Governors Deputies". Bank of Ghana.
  14. ↑ "Bank of Ghana, Biography". ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  15. ↑ Emmanuel, Kojo (6 April 2022). "Here are all the governors of the Bank of Ghana since 1957". Pulse Ghana. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  16. ↑ "BoG ordinance". 19 June 2008. Archived from the original on 14 September 2008.
  17. ↑ "High Court has jurisdiction over GN Bank vs. Bank of Ghana - Supreme Court rules - Graphic Online".
  18. ↑ "GN bank case: BoG appeal struck out, High Court to give final judgement". GhanaWeb. 19 January 2022. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
  19. 1 2 3 "BoG new head office 41% completed; to be finished in Sept. 2024". Citi Business News. 22 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  20. ↑ "Construction of new BoG office at 41% completion - Governor". GhanaWeb. 21 August 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  21. ↑ "Why BoG is constructing new Head Office building as most important priority project". Graphic Online. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  22. ↑ "New BoG head office 'not just simple, ordinary building' – Addison". GhanaWeb. 21 August 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  23. ↑ Gyesi, Zadok Kwame (21 August 2023). "No procurement law was flouted in new BoG head office project - Governor". Graphic Online. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  24. ↑ "New headquarters cost not bloated - BoG". GhanaWeb. 22 August 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  25. ↑ "NDC MP blows alarm on luxurious 'Central Bank of Ghana Governor Guest House' in Takoradi". GhanaWeb. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  26. ↑ GhanaWeb (18 August 2023). "3 top public personalities who have commented on BoG's new $250m headquarters". GhanaWeb. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  27. ↑ Biiya, Mukusah Ali (18 August 2023). "I'll demolish new BoG head office project if I had my own way - Dormaahene [VIDEO]". Graphic Online. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  28. ↑ "It's not prudent to build new BoG headquarters while in crisis – Inusah Fuseini". www.myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  29. ↑ "Calls for resignation of BoG governor, deputies are unjustified – Stephen Amoah". GhanaWeb. 11 August 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  30. ↑ "BoG picks Central Bank of the Year award". Graphic Online. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  31. ↑ "Bank of Ghana (BoG) won Central Bank of the Year Award 2020 in 7th Annual Central Banking Awards 2020". affairscloud.com. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
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