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