Access Bank Ghana hosted hundreds of SME at the AMA Gardens from December 8-10 for the first-ever SME fair organised by a bank in Ghana. The three-day novel event, in partnership with Graphic Business, was on the theme ‘Enhancing SMEs’ Access to markets for sustainable growth’.
Welcoming the over-300 entrepreneurs gathered at the AMA Hall in Accra, the Managing Director of Access Bank Ghana, Olumide Olatunji, was excited by the impact the partnership has had on SMEs in the country. He said over the last two years SMEs have been equipped with critical business tools from the workshops and clinics organised across business hubs in the country.
“We at Access Bank can only look back with gratitude on the journey of impacting the SME sector these past two years. It has been a period of building robust and resilient SMEs to access global markets, and continuing to significantly impact the Ghanaian economy through capacity building on digitalisation, provision of funds and business advisory among others.”
He lauded the efforts of Graphic Communications in creating access to markets, and said Access Bank is committed to supporting this in the long-term through physical fairs and digital marketplaces. Olumide also commended Graphic for educating over five million people bi-weekly through publication of its ‘SMEs in Focus’.
“The role of education to building strong SMEs cannot be overemphasised. The ‘SMEs in Focus’ publications offer a perfect platform for continuous education on important subjects needed for SMEs’ growth,” Olumide added.
The Deputy Minister for Trade, Herbert Krapa – who graced the occasion, thanked Access Bank for the novel initiative and for recognising the contributions of SMEs toward economic growth. He said government has provided a platform through the AfCFTA that enables SMEs to reach global markets. The opportunity, he said, has also raised the competition among businesses; therefore, SMEs need to be on top of their game to receive the full benefits.
He further reiterated government’s commitment to the SME sector through various programmes outlined for them “Duty exemptions support, access to finance through the Ghana Export-Import Bank and the Ghana Enterprises Agency are among government’s initiatives for the SME sector,” Mr. Krapa said.
Also addressing the SMEs’ gathering, a Professor of Finance at the University of Ghana Business School, Prof. Godfred Bokpin, said studies have shown that by the year 2040 Ghana’s population will reach 45 million – and the country will need to create 10 million decent jobs in the private sector to meet the job demand.
Prof. Bokpin therefore called for a strengthening of the SME sector to adequately prepare for the demand. He said: “We must be intentional in growing SMEs to become regional, continental and global markets,” – adding that innovative measures such as those Access Bank is implementing are commendable.
Mr. Franklin Sowah, Director of Business at Graphic Corporation, lauded Access Bank Ghana for the initiative and assured that the company will continue offering the platform for SMEs’ growth.
As a go-to bank for SMEs, Access Bank Ghana remains committed to the promise of providing more than banking to its valued customers. Through constant customer engagements, Access Bank gets to understand their varied needs and helps by proffering solutions to them.
