Members of the Kente Weavers Association of the Volta Region say loan applications for some 425 members which were approved by Microfinance and Small Loans Center (MASLOC) in December 2019 were diverted by some individuals at the Volta regional office of the state institution.
According to the group, 175 members of the association initially applied for the MASLOC loans in August 2019, while the second batch of 250 members also put in their applications in December 2019 but never received their monies.
They said their checks revealed that the applications were approved but the money was misappropriated by the previous MASLOC boss in the Volta Region leading to his dismissal and rendering the Kente weavers helpless.
At a press conference held in Ho addressed by the Vice President of the Association, Mr Paul Franklin Gbortsyo, the association indicated that “while expecting disbursement of the loans before our annual Congress on 13th December 2019 we invited the CEO, Stephen Amoah, as one of the dignitaries to the Congress.”
“Though he could not make it himself, he sent a delegation from the Accra head office and the Ho office led by Mr George Osei-Waree to act on his behalf. In his address, the Volta regional director, Mr Daniel Wudome confirmed that the loan application of the first 175 members of the association has been processed and awaiting disbursement. In January 2020 we met with the regional director at Ho where he mentioned that our loan application has been approved hence, they were only waiting for the cheques.”
The weavers said they felt cheated as their counterparts in other parts of the country are on record to have received several tranches of the loan.
“We felt cheated when we heard of the negative development, more especially when we heard that some associations in the Ashanti Region had the loan for three good times. We are therefore using this medium to appeal to the President, Nana Akufo-Addo for his intervention. It would be recalled that we wrote two letters; one in July and another in October 2020 to the President without any response,” Mr Gbotsyo Intimated.
The weavers thus called on the President to step in to ensure that they receive their loans to enhance their trade.
Meanwhile, MASLOC has told Citi News it will respond to the concerns of the kente weavers at a later date.
The post Volta Region: Kente weavers lament delay in disbursement of MASLOC loans appeared first on Citinewsroom - Comprehensive News in Ghana.
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