Bank trains SMEs in northern sector

The Agricultural Development Bank (adb) has trained operators of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the northern sector of the country to build their capacity in managerial and financial efficiency.

The training formed part of measures by the adb to not only serve as a strategic financial services provider to the SMEs, but also helping them to adequately manage the loans granted them.

Mr. Robert Karikari Darko, Executive Head in-charge of SMEs at adb, who opened the two-day training programme in Tamale on Wednesday, said the training was also to guide the SMEs operators to further understand the requirements of the bank in terms of proposals for loans to ensure that their (SMEs) proposals were approved.

Mr. Darko said adb considered SMEs as a key sector and therefore, had designed financial packages including short term, medium term and long term loans as well as contingency guarantees to improve their (SMEs) operations.

He said amongst others, the construction sector remained the bank’s major portfolio in northern Ghana as it considered it as its contribution to the development of the country.

He said a lot of SMEs had gone bad because of lack of information and poor management, saying adb was guarding against such a situation because the Bank would be affected if the businesses of its customer failed.

He said “it is our desire to grow your business” and urged operators of SMEs to desist from diverting loans into other projects that had not been originally approved for, because such a practice did not augur well for effective business management.

Mr. John Teye Quarshie, Managing Partner of Cushay and Associates who doubles as the facilitator of the training, said poor accounting practices were at the root of most of the challenges facing SMEs and urged them to adhere to best accounting practices to enhance their operations.