Africa’s fastest rising financial giant, Stanbic Bank, has had one of its own, Marian Amartey, who serves as the Head of Business Enablement (Platform Business) in the Department of Business and Commercial Banking, enstooled as the Queen Mother 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 Stanbic Bank, Kwamina Asomaning, the Head Legal, Doreen Eliasu, who is also the Patron of the Stanbic Ladies Forum, the Head of Business and Commercial Clients, Farihan Alhassan, who works directly with the new queen mother, the Head of Private and Personal Banking, Benjamin Mensah, the Head of Marketing, Mawuko Afadzinu, the Head of Information Technology, the Head of Audit, the Divisional Head of Corporate Communication and Experience, Agnes Owusu Afram of GT Bank, the Managing Director of GHIHOC, Maxwell Kofi Jumah, and the Board Chairman of Special Ice Water, Dr. Ofori Sarpong, Nana Otagrigya Osei Bonsu, the Tepa Wirempemhene and Executive Chairman of Agate Group, and Managing Director Kwabena Dwomoah Asare.
The queen mother, who is also the Head of Business Enablement at Stanbic Bank Ghana and Founder of the newly launched Naa Amorkor ShikaFutru I Foundation, expressed during the durbar at James Town, Accra, that she would be the embodiment and expression of the culture, aspirations, and history of her people, especially for women.
She mentioned that she had come to understand that royalty stood for justice, peace, and unity.
“The time-tested, rancor-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 programs 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.
Acknowledgement
The Chief Executive of 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.