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The Bank of Ghana has said it would soon give its final approval to the takeover of Merchant Bank by First Rand of South Africa. In a statement, the Central Bank said it has no objection to the takeover whatsoever. The bank however noted that there have been some "public interest" concerns which are being resolved by the majority shareholder SSNIT, Merchant and First Rand Bank. The regulator believes these concerns will soon be addressed soon to pave the way for the approval. The Bank of Ghana has also confirmed that it has received and reviewed an application for a 75 percent stake in Merchant by First Rand. South Africa�s second biggest bank wants to buy the 75 percent stake in Merchant for 176.4 million Ghana cedis.