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GEXIM supports SMEs through capacity building programme
The Ghana EXIM Bank (GEXIM), has announced a support package for Small and Medium Enterprises(SMEs) through its capacity programme.
This falls under the SME Growth and Opportunity programme launched by the Ministry of Finance which offers a comprehensive package of financial and technical support, including capacity-building sessions, to address the critical funding constraints faced by SMEs.
Speaking at the Ghana EXIM Bank Stakeholder Session with SMEs on Thursday September 26, at the Trade Fair House in Accra, Rosemary Beryl Archer, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Exim Bank, said, the government’s 10 points industrialization agenda has SME development at heart.
She said, on Tuesday July 16, 2024, the President of the Republic, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo launched the SME Growth and Opportunities Programme in Accra.
According to her, it is a ground-breaking initiative which seeks to assist Ghanaian SMEs to scale up and build their capacity to make them sustainable and compete favourably in the international marketplace. The Bank is a strategic partner.
She further noted that “Today, we want to share with you our plan for Micro and SMEs on our special initiative under the SME GO Programme to strategically position your businesses and take you to the next level. We want to share ideas and identify ways of supporting your businesses to grow. We are here for you, so please feel free to engage with us.”
She added that they want to develop them to grow into the international market, adding that if they contribute 70 percent of the GDP, then there is the need for them to be supported.
According to her, the mandate of the Bank is to support and develop trade between Ghana and other countries, overseas investments by Ghanaian Companies and eliminate critical market failures in the Ghanaian economy thereby making Ghana competitive in the global marketplace.
The deputy CEO of GEXIM Bank noted that financing from the Ghana EXIM Bank aims at key benchmarks derived from development instead of commercial objectives. These are employment creation, value addition through production, efficiency and foreign exchange revenue potential.
The Head of SME Banking at GEXIM, Bright Darko said as part of the programme some funds have been set aside under Capacity Building for some micro and small businesses who will need grants to support their operations.
He said it was why they met those businesses to try and explain to them what the programme was all about as well as how they could apply in line with the requirements.
He said as a department, they have seen access to finance as the main challenge of the SMEs because the commercial banks shy away from them.
Against this backdrop, Mr.Darko said, this facility has specially been put together to assist SMEs struggling to get funding from the commercial banks, adding that they are critical to the economy.
Additionally, he said, they would put in place monitoring systems to ensure that the grants are put to good use.
He also announced that the bank is on course of setting up a processing facility by June, 2025
After the meeting an application form was made available for them to start applying.
The application will run from now till the end of October, and within a period of 30 days of application, one is expected to get the fund.
The participants expressed appreciation to the government and the bank for coming to their aid to enhance their capacity.
They promised to put the support to good use,
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
THE Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MOGCSP), Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has called on traditional authorities, religious leaders and community influencers to stop shielding perpetrators of gender-based violence and allow the law to work.
She said too many cases were being buried at the community level, with abusers protected while victims were pressured into silence. This, she stressed, must end.
Dr Lartey made the call on Tuesday at the national launch of the 2025, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, held at the Kaneshie Main Station in Accra.
This year’s campaign, observed globally from November 25 to December 10, is on the theme: ‘Unite! End Digital Violence Against Women and Girls.’
It highlights rising incidents of cyberbullying, online stalking, image-based exploitation and other forms of technology-facilitated abuse that disproportionately affect women and girls.
The minister urged the media to use their platforms to condemn abuse and intensify education, noting that no person should “die in silence’’ in a society that values dignity, equality and the principles of Sustainable Development Goal 5.
She also encouraged women, girls, men and boys to report any form of abuse, assuring the public that support services were available to all, regardless of age or social status.
Dr Lartey described gender-based violence as one of the most pervasive human rights violations in Ghana. She referenced a 2016 Domestic Violence Survey showing that 27.7 per cent of Ghanaian women have experienced domestic violence, as well as a 2014 Demographic and Health Survey which revealed that 32 per cent of girls aged 15–24 believe wife beating was justified—an indication of harmful societal norms.
Calling the situation “unfortunate and sad,” she stressed that the nation must dismantle cultural beliefs that excuse or normalise violence.
Outlining government actions, Dr Lartey announced that Cabinet has approved the revised National Domestic Violence Policy, while the updated Domestic Abuse Bill and its Legislative Instrument were being finalised by the Attorney-General’s Department.
She also disclosed plans to operationalise a national shelter in Accra and begin constructing the 16 regional shelters promised to strengthen protection systems for survivors.
Additionally, the ministry has trained 200 market leaders as paralegals and 100 professionals, including psychologists, medical workers and legal experts, to support victims with referrals and counselling.
UNFPA Country Representative, Dr David Wilfred Ochan, reaffirmed the agency’s support for Ghana’s efforts. He unveiled a nationwide initiative titled “16 Stations, 16 Routes, 16 Destinations,” which will use the country’s public transport system to raise awareness on gender-based violence.
In partnership with the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU), the initiative will promote stickers, public announcements, training and codes of conduct to ensure that transport stations become safe spaces where commuters, traders, porters and young people can access information and hotline services to report or prevent abuse.
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CHILD Rights International (CRI) is urging the government to adopt a firm and comprehensive national policy to safeguard the religious rights of students in secondary schools, insisting that no child should be denied education or the freedom to express their faith.
In a statement issued on Thursday in Accra, the organisation said the recent controversy involving Wesley Girls’ Senior High School highlights deep-seated gaps in how children’s rights were upheld within the country’s long-standing educational structures.
According to CRI, the incident underscores the need for Ghana to reassess the relationship between school traditions and the constitutional rights of students.
The group emphasised that the right to education and the right to religious expression were fundamental, and must be reflected consistently in rules and practices across all schools.
Additionally, CRI noted that many well-known mission institutions such as Holy Child School and St. Louis Senior High School operate on religious foundations that have shaped their administrative cultures for decades.
These differ significantly from state-established schools like Ghana Senior High School in Koforidua, Tamale Senior High School and Achimota Senior High School.
This contrast, CRI argued, raises an important national question and what policy framework has guided these mission schools since their incorporation into the public system?
Although the government has declared all such schools secular, they continue to function as government-assisted institutions, maintaining a hybrid structure that leaves them neither fully autonomous nor entirely under the Ghana Education Service (GES).
This unclear arrangement has led to inconsistent rules on discipline, conduct and religious expression from one school to another.
CRI warned that the absence of a unified and enforceable national policy leaves significant gaps in the protection of children’s rights.
While rights may be universal, the group emphasised that their protection depends on strong and clearly defined state regulations.
The organisation further stated that the State has yet to assume full regulatory authority over the schools it supports financially. As a result, key administrative and disciplinary decisions often remain at the discretion of individual school authorities, creating uneven standards nationwide.
For the rights of children, particularly their right to practise their religion to be fully realised, CRI believes the government must move toward full regulatory ownership of all schools it funds or classifies as public.
Without this, tensions between deeply rooted school traditions and constitutional freedoms are likely to persist.
The statement stressed that once a school admits a student, it takes responsibility not only for their academic development but also for respecting their identity, including their religious background. Therefore, no child, CRI insists, should be prevented from practicing their faith within the school environment.
Moreover, the organisation called for the establishment of clear national standards that guide schools on accommodating religious expression without compromising discipline or institutional order.
It also urged the government to strengthen safeguarding systems with firm oversight and routine monitoring to ensure that children’s rights are protected based on national law, not historical customs or administrative discretion.
CRI admonished the government to clarify the official status of government-assisted mission schools to ensure that the rights of all students are upheld consistently across the country.
By Spectator Reporter
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