Government to launch new programme for SME growth

The government will on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, launch a new programme aimed at delivering financial and technical support to Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to turn them into 'high-growth' ventures.Known as the SME Growth and Opportunity Programme, the initiative would prioritise coordination between partnering agencies to ensure the targeted delivery of financial and technical support to high-growth potential SMEs.President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo would launch the SME Growth and Opportunity Programme on the margins of a summit, themed: 'Breaking Barriers to SME Growth,' in Accra.It would be under the auspices of the Ministries of Finance and Trade and Industries and their partnering agencies.The partnering agencies are Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), and the Ghana EXIM Bank, the Development Bank Ghana (DBG), and the International Finance Corporation (IFC).The Ministry of Finance said in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency on Sunday, that the private sector players, academia, business regulatory and compliance institutions, media, industry, multilateral and bilateral partners as well as financial service providers would participate in the Summit.On the sidelines of the event would be an exhibition of SME products.Some key speakers at the event are Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, Minister of Finance, Kobina Tahir Hammond, Minister of Trade and Industries, Dr Ernest Addison, Governor, Bank of Ghana (BoG), and Dr Akinwumi Adesina, President, African Development Bank (AfDB).'The summit aims to enhance partnerships, mobilise diverse financial resources for SMEs growth and expansion and provide a platform for public and private sector actors to advocate inclusive policies and strategies required to enhance SME growth in Ghana,' the statement quoted Dr Amin Adam as saying.Source: Ghana News Agency