Absa Bank Ghana has rolled out its Agency Banking proposition, a new initiative designed to extend financial services to underserved peri-urban and rural communities where access to traditional banking infrastructure remains limited.
Under the model, accredited individuals and businesses will act as authorised agents of the bank, delivering essential services such as deposits, withdrawals, domestic money transfers, and bill payments. These services will be available to both Absa customers and non-customers.
Data from the World Bank’s Global Findex Database shows that as of 2021, nearly 35% of Ghanaian adults remained unbanked, with many citing the distance to bank branches as a major obstacle. Absa Bank’s Agency Banking seeks to close this gap by embedding financial services within local communities through trusted partner enterprises.
Kobla Nyaletey, Executive Director for Retail and Business Banking at Absa Bank Ghana, described the initiative as a strategic step toward financial inclusion.
“For Absa Bank, Agency Banking is a strategic extension of our retail presence and a key enabler of inclusive banking. We are embedding financial services within communities to remove barriers and bring more Ghanaians into the formal financial system. This model allows us to meet customers where they are, while empowering local businesses to thrive as banking agents,” he said.
Samuel Offei, Head of Agency Banking at Absa Bank Ghana, emphasised that the programme has been built around trust, reliability, and security.
“Each agent goes through a rigorous accreditation and training process to ensure they can deliver the same high-quality service customers expect at any Absa branch. Agent locations will also operate beyond traditional banking hours, offering customers greater convenience and flexibility,” he noted.
He further assured that all transactions conducted through the agency banking network will be processed via Absa’s secure digital platform and in compliance with regulatory standards, ensuring customer protection.
Through this initiative, Absa Bank hopes to play a leading role in driving Ghana’s financial inclusion agenda by making banking services more accessible, especially to those previously excluded from the formal financial system.
