Company: Agricultural Development Bank
Country: Ghana
Sector: Regional Banks
CEO: Alhassan Yakubu-Tali
Website: Not publicly listed
Careers Page: Not publicly listed
LinkedIn: Not publicly listed
Email: Not publicly listed
Headquarters: Accra, Ghana
Founded: 1965
Valuation/Revenue: $539.5m market value (African Business Top 250, 2025)
Agricultural Development Bank (ADB Bank) is a majority state-owned Ghanaian bank originally established to provide technical and financial services to farmers, agribusinesses and rural enterprises. It has since grown into a full-service commercial bank offering development, corporate, personal and international banking, while retaining its historic focus on agricultural finance.
What Does Agricultural Development Bank Do?
ADB Bank provides financial services to agribusiness, farmers and rural communities alongside a broader commercial banking offering that includes corporate banking, personal banking, international banking, diaspora banking, treasury management and money transfer services through a partnership with Western Union. Its historic mandate as Ghana’s dedicated agricultural development lender means it has traditionally financed a significant share of the formal banking sector’s lending to Ghana’s agricultural value chain, from smallholder farmers to larger agribusiness processors and exporters, though it operates as a general commercial bank serving all sectors today.
Is Agricultural Development Bank Legit?
Yes. ADB Bank is regulated by the Bank of Ghana, majority owned by the Government of Ghana, and has operated for roughly six decades as one of the country’s established banking institutions. It has been recognised with industry awards, including Ghana Cocoa Awards’ Best Cocoa Financing Institution in 2020 and Africa Investor’s Bank of the Year for Agribusiness in 2010, reflecting sustained institutional credibility in its core agricultural finance niche.
How Big Is Agricultural Development Bank?
African Business magazine’s Top 250 companies in Africa list valued Agricultural Development Bank at approximately $540 million in its 2025 ranking. In an earlier disclosed snapshot, the bank reported total assets of around $684 million (roughly GHS 1.21 billion) as of December 2011, and at one point accounted for as much as 35% of total Ghanaian banking sector financing directed to agriculture, underlining its historically outsized role in that segment relative to its overall size.
Who Owns Agricultural Development Bank?
The Government of Ghana holds approximately 51.83% of Agricultural Development Bank, giving the state a controlling majority stake, with the remaining roughly 48.17% held by institutional shareholders. This state-controlled ownership structure reflects ADB’s founding mandate as a policy-oriented development finance institution for Ghana’s agricultural sector, even as it has diversified into broader commercial banking activities over time.
Who Is the CEO of Agricultural Development Bank?
Alhassan Yakubu-Tali is listed as the bank’s Managing Director/CEO, leading the institution’s strategy across its development banking mandate and its broader commercial banking operations.
How Old Is Agricultural Development Bank?
The bank was established in 1965 as the Agricultural Credit and Cooperative Bank, before being renamed Agricultural Development Bank in 1967, giving it roughly 60 years of continuous operation as one of Ghana’s oldest specialised development finance institutions, originally based on Tunisia Road, West Ridge in Accra.
What Has Agricultural Development Bank Been in the News For?
The bank expanded its branch network from 55 to 78 branches around 2011 and introduced products such as the ADB Visa Classic Card as part of a broader modernisation push. It has periodically been discussed in Ghanaian policy circles regarding proposed privatisation or recapitalisation given its state ownership and development mandate, a recurring theme for Ghana’s state-linked financial institutions amid the country’s various banking sector reform programmes over the past decade.
How Does Agricultural Development Bank Compare to Its Competitors?
ADB Bank competes with Ghana’s other major banks for both general commercial banking business and, more specifically, agricultural sector lending, including GCB Bank (Ghana’s largest bank by branch network, also state-linked), Ecobank Ghana, Stanbic Bank Ghana, Absa Bank Ghana and Fidelity Bank Ghana. Its specialised agricultural finance heritage continues to differentiate it somewhat from these more broadly focused commercial competitors, particularly in rural and cocoa-sector financing.
Links
Website: Not publicly listed
Careers Page: Not found
LinkedIn: Not found
Email: Not publicly listed
FAQ
Is Agricultural Development Bank legit?
Yes, it is a Bank of Ghana-regulated, majority state-owned commercial bank operating since 1965.
Who owns Agricultural Development Bank?
The Government of Ghana holds approximately 51.83%, with institutional shareholders holding the remainder.
Who is the CEO of Agricultural Development Bank?
Alhassan Yakubu-Tali.
How big is Agricultural Development Bank?
African Business’s Top 250 ranking valued it at approximately $540 million in 2025.
When was Agricultural Development Bank founded?
In 1965, originally as Agricultural Credit and Cooperative Bank.
Where is Agricultural Development Bank headquartered?
In Accra, Ghana.