THE IMPACT OF COMMUNITY BANK ON THE ECONOMY OF NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

A community bank in Nigeria is self-sustaining financial institution owned and managed within a community to provide financial services to that community. The national board for community banks (NBCB) processes applications for the establishment of community banks. The first community bank commenced operation in December 2000 since then NBCB has issued provisional license to 1, 366 community bank and are expected to be issued final licenses by the CBN aer operating for two years. As at the end of December, 2002 there were 90 licensed insured banks, 282 licensed community banks 74 licensed primary mortgage institutions and 6 development financial institutions (DFLS). All these institutions (within the exception of DFLS) take deposit from members of the public in one form or the other. However, for all purpose, the universal banks constitute the hub of the banking and in fact, the financial services industry. The community banks are unit banks by design and expected to focus on small savers in their host community.

The rural areas almost 75% of Nigeria contributed substantially about 92% of the nations agriculture products knowing well of this visible and immeasurable contribution the rural dwellers who are predominantly farmers are denied of any government support in terms of increased institutionalization of agricultural credit, concessionary interest rate policy, flexible condition on borrowing incentive to farmers, decentralization of institutional agencies, improved credit system, great reliability in supply of agricultural credit, negative action against defaulting credit institution. From the above, this research will be carried out under an investigative analysis on what reform the federal government is enunciating the community banking programmes in the rural community which will be followed by an identification of all allied strategies and their relevance to the revamping of the dwindled rural economy in the face of the deregulation of the Nigerian economy. It is necessary to study how the non institutional financial sector complements the current development strategies. This study also intend to evaluate the challenges inherent in the operations of the community banking.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS

Despite the recognition given to grass root operators by the government through the establishment of the community banking programmes it appears that such gestures is yet to be accepted by the rural operators. And on the other hand, informal financial sector has not received any support even when it clamors for such obviously because of the emergence of the problems ridden development strategies or programmes. Some people have jointly expressed their view over the government reckless neglect of the informal financial institution. The institutions are consistently starved of funds and it limits the scale of economic activities. It can support and it is equally believed that inadequate liquidity and difficulty in identifying the structure of interest rates are some of the problems facing the institution.