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A managerial skills development trainingprogrammefor professionals in the banking and others in the financial services sector is being launched at theOseiTutu II Centre for Executive Education & Research (OTCEER), Kumasi. The Centre, which is expected to take care of capacity development and the training needs of professionals in the region as well as the Northern sector of Ghana, is sponsored by Diageo, Heineken and Unilever. Currently the Centre offers a number of Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Executive EducationProgrammes. A release issued in Accra and signed by ProfessorKwaku Atuahene-Gima, Executive Director of the Centre said �The target beneficiaries of this suite ofprogrammesto be delivered at the centre include both existing and potential staff in the financial services industry, including Universal Banks, Rural and Community Banks, Savings & Loans Companies, Micro-Finance Companies, Finance Houses, Insurance Companies, and Capital Market operators among others�. The objectives of theseprogrammes, according to the release, are to offer: Practical skills development and training; An in-depth knowledge of the various functions in the financial services industry and build foundational skills to integrate these functions across the entity; An opportunity to examine new techniques and technologies for driving results throughout the entity; and formulate a holistic approach to identifying problems, formulating solutions, and adapting to change. It is also to; Build strategic skills for effective decision making, strategy development, and implementation; Expand capacity of participants to lead cross-functional initiatives and corporate projects amid challenging global markets; and develop a personal leadership philosophy that reflects greater knowledge, capabilities, and insight. Furthermore, the release said the �Successful completion of OTCEERprogrammes, which will involve attendance and in-session proficiency tests during the period, will entitle participants to certificates of competency/proficiency�. According to the release, OTCEER offers unique career development opportunities for stakeholders in the banking and financial services industry outside the national capital, Accra. In other words the centre brings executive education and research to the people in the Ashanti Region, the Northern sector of Ghana, and beyond. �Our team of resource personnel for OTCEERprogrammesis a hybrid of academics and accomplished industry professionals�, the release said adding that �The academics bring on board relevant breadth and depth to ensure that the content of ourprogrammesis commensurate with the latest research and knowledge, while the industry professionals complement with real world and banking industry specific applications of concepts�. In other words, �we connect fundamental knowledge with practical applications�, it said. The release indicated that the interweaving of fundamental knowledge with practical application provides the beneficiaries of OTCEERprogrammeswith future problem solving skills, comprehension of the latest theories and their practical applications. Among the resource personnel at the centre are: ProfessorKwaku Atuahene-Gima, the Executive Director of CEIBSProgrammesin Africa; Professor MathewTsamenyi, a Professor of Accounting at the University of Birmingham UK and currently Visiting Professor at CEIBS; NanaOtuo Acheampong, the Principal Consultant for Banking and Financial Services at OTCEER; and MaudDontoh-Biney, a member of the Adjunct Resource Team, OTCEER, and a former head of the Credit Risk Management Faculty at the National Banking College.