The Development Bank Ghana (DBG) has disbursed more than GH¢2.5 billion to businesses since its inception, with women-led enterprises, agriculture and manufacturing receiving a sig
The report indicates that the Development Bank Ghana (DBG) has disbursed more than GH¢2.5 billion to businesses since its inception, with women-led enterprises, agriculture and manufacturing receiving a significant share of the funding.
It further notes that chief Executive Officer of DBG, Prof Randolph Nsor-Ambala, says more than 60% of the bank’s disbursements have gone to women-led and women-owned businesses.
He stated over 50% of the funding has also been directed towards agribusiness, agriculture and manufacturing.
“There are components of those disbursements that have gone into energy transition. There are components; about 40% of that disbursement has gone into micro, small, and medium enterprises.”
Prof Nsor-Ambala stated the bank’s financing strategy is based on evidence of the sectors Ghana needs to transform its economy.
“Our focus areas are essentially agriculture, manufacturing, ICT, and what we call high-value services.”
He stated the high-value services include education, health, transportation and tourism.
According to him, these sectors have significant growth potential but face market failures and binding constraints that require deliberate interventions.
“These are the sectors that will contribute massively; we call them growth pole areas, yet they’ve got market failures and binding constraints that require deliberate interventions, and those interventions must be considered as a public good because they cannot necessarily be financed by private capital or money.”
Agriculture has been a major area of focus for DBG because of its potential to create jobs and strengthen food security.
“Top among those reasons are around jobs that need to be created. And we are here, we are talking about decent jobs that deliver on upward social mobility and economic empowerment.”
Prof Nsor-Ambala stated agricultural investment could also help ease economic pressures linked to food imports.
“And then aside from the jobs, there’s the other element around food security, and that food security translates into lower economic pressures, i.e., inflation, exchange rate problems because of high levels of imports, etc., etc.”
The bank has therefore targeted specific agricultural value chains, including maize, rice, cassava, sorghum and poultry.
