{
  "id": 10932885,
  "title": "Banks are responding to improved monetary policy conditions – John Awuah",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/banks-are-responding-to-improved-monetary-policy-conditions-john-awuah-10932885",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-30T11:15:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Joy Business",
    "slug": "joy-business",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/banks-are-responding-to-improved-monetary-policy-conditions-john-awuah/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "John Awuah, CEO of the Ghana Association of Banks, has explained that banks are responding positively to improved monetary policy conditions. In an interview following a Monetary Policy Committee discussion, Awuah pointed to data showing a 29 percent year-on-year increase in private sector credit, emphasizing that banks are indeed lending money. Despite the central bank keeping interest rates at 14% since March, bank lending rates have decreased from over 18% to around 15.9%. The average lending rate for new loans is between 9 and 12%, indicating significant improvement compared to previous years. Awuah noted that while the non-performing loan ratio in Ghana remains high at 15.8%, it is still lower than the ratios in Togo (under 10%), Côte d’Ivoire (under 7%) and Nigeria (under 9%). To address the issue, Awuah urged policymakers to focus on enhancing collateral enforcement, as delays in recovering loans can increase the risk for banks and lead to higher interest rates for borrowers. He stressed the importance of strong collaboration among stakeholders to tackle structural inefficiencies and improve the overall business environment for lending.",
  "summary": "The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Association of Banks, John Awuah, has defended the banking sector’s lending practices, arguing that a decline in borrowing costs and strong private sector credit growth demonstrate that banks are responding to improving monetary conditions. He said the Bank of Ghana’s decision to maintain the monetary policy rate at […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
        "title": "Banks are responding to improved monetary policy conditions – John Awuah",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/banks-are-responding-to-improved-monetary-policy-conditions-john-awuah",
        "published": "2026-09-30T11:15:37.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}