ADB health walk puts staff wellbeing at centre of growth plans

The Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) says employee wellbeing and stronger relationships with customers and business partners are central to its plans to improve productivity and support long-term business growth.

The bank made the commitment at its 2026 Annual Health Walk, which brought together employees, customers, suppliers and other business partners. Management said the event was designed not only to encourage healthy lifestyles but also to improve teamwork, collaboration and overall business performance.

ADB Managing Director Edward Ato Sarpong said the walk was particularly important for a bank with 90 branches nationwide, including 27 in Accra. He said the event gave employees from across the country the chance to reconnect, strengthen relationships and prepare for the second half of the year.

“A healthy body leads to healthy performance. We do this every year to bring the team together. Sometimes it’s important to meet as a bank, walk together, eat together, play games and build the bond that the bank requires to move us to the next level.”

Mr Sarpong said the initiative formed part of a wider effort to keep staff motivated while the bank pursues ambitious financial and commercial targets. He added that the health walk offered employees an opportunity to recover and renew their energy following what he described as a strong performance during the first six months of the year.

“We want to be a billion-profit bank in a short period of time. We want to grow our deposits to about GH¢35 billion and become one of the top three banks in Ghana. That requires a certain level of employee engagement because leadership alone cannot do it. The performance for the first six months is good by all standards. We are doing well as a bank, but we need to renew our energy for the second half of the year.”

The event also placed a deliberate emphasis on ADB’s external relationships. Customers, suppliers and other partners joined employees for the walk, reflecting the bank’s intention to build closer links beyond its traditional banking activities.

Mr Sarpong said the broader participation should encourage relationship managers to develop partnerships and services that create greater value for the bank’s stakeholders.

“We have our partners, customers and suppliers walking with us. The intent is to integrate all of them and ensure our relationship managers look beyond the traditional way of banking to create greater value.”

Deputy Managing Director of Operations Sylvia Naa Kwakai Nyante said the annual event had developed from an activity focused mainly on staff into a wider platform for stakeholder engagement.

She said ADB would continue working with existing and potential customers as it seeks to deepen partnerships and expand its business operations.

“Health is very key to everyone. This year we decided to scale up the annual walk by including our customers and exhibitors because, beyond health, we want corporate entities to deepen their relationship with ADB.”

The annual ADB Health Walk is part of the bank’s wider employee wellness programme. Management believes the programme can help raise staff productivity, reinforce relationships with customers and business partners, and support ADB’s long-term growth strategy.