Africa’s most fast and rising financial giant Stanbic Bank has had one of its own, Marian Amartey enstooled as the Queenmother of Asere Amartse-We, with the stool name Naa Amorkor ShikaFutru I.
She was installed at a grand durbar of the chiefs and people of the Asere Traditional Area last Saturday.
The ceremony was graced by the Asere Dzasetse Nii Amarkai III, chiefs and queens of the Asere Traditional Council, the Amafrom Mantse Nii Kwashie Borlor IV, the Pishegu Lana Naa Alhassan Andani, the CEO of the Stanbic Bank Kwamina Asomaning, the Head Legal Doreen Eliasu, who is also the Patron of the Stanbic Ladies Forum, the Head Business and Commercial Clients Farihan Alhassan who works directly with the new queen mother, the Head Private and Personal Banking Benjamin Mensah, the Head Marketing Mawuko Afadzinu, the Head Information and Technology, Head Audit, Divisional Head Corporate Communication and Experience GT Bank Agnes Owusu Afram, the Managing Director GHIHOC Maxwell Kofi Jumah and Board Chairman Special Ice Water, Dr Ofori Sarpong, Nana Otagrigya Osei Bonsu,the Tepa Wirempemhene and Executive Chairman Agate group and Managing Director Kwabena Dwomoah Asare.
The queenmother is the Head of Business Enablement at the Stanbic Bank Ghana and Founder of the newly launched Naa Amorkor ShikaFutru I Foundation. At the durbar at James Town, Accra, Naa ShikaFutru I said she would be the embodiment and expression of the culture, aspirations and history of her people, especially for women.
She said she had come to understand that royalty stood for justice, peace and unity. “The time-tested, rancour-free succession process bequeathed to us in our custom and tradition is a great tribute to the far-sightedness and wisdom of our forebears and our people,” she said.
Girl Project Under the initiative of the Naa Amorkor ShikaFutru I Foundation, the queen mother also launched the Girl Power Project “to dispel and overturn the old narrative of how poverty wears a woman’s face”.
She expressed concern about the pervasive poverty at the grassroots and the rise in crime and juvenile delinquency in society. Naa ShikaFutru attributed the problem to the widespread youth unemployment, which, she said, required well-articulated and structured youth development and empowerment programmes with active support from the government at all levels to address them.
She emphasized that the project would adopt a holistic approach to create opportunities for girls, promote gender equality, build self-esteem, provide education and resources, and foster leadership skills among young girls.
Acknowledgment
The Chief Executive of the Stanbic Bank Ghana, Kwamina Asomaning, acknowledged the contributions of traditional authorities in fostering the well-being and progress of society.
He expressed the bank’s commitment to extend its support and expertise and to foster an environment conducive to Naa Amorkor’s success and the advancement of her aspirations.
“Together, we will continue to cultivate fruitful partnerships that uplift and empower our communities, ensuring a brighter future for our communities. “We, therefore, stand with her as she introduces the Girl Power Project as it is the turn of Manye to bring such an intervention to her community.
We sincerely believe that its impact would go beyond the borders of Asere.
The bank would walk in step with her as many girls are empowered to meet the challenges of the new norm,” he stated.
