There are opportunities for entrepreneurs in the agribusiness space in Ghana to scale up their business operations.
That’s according to Absa Bank Ghana, which says that it is ever-ready to provide financial and technical assistance for such enterprises, including start-ups, to help them thrive in order to boost the local economy.
The Head of Agribusiness at Absa Bank Ghana, William Nettey, asked entrepreneurs not to lose focus but take advantage of the support the bank has to offer.
“At Absa Bank, we have facilities available for agribusinesses or businesses that are not able to meet all documentation. So come for us to work with you for some time and monitor your progress. We also have our startup proposition that seeks to support start-ups, especially to help them to grow.”
“At the point you are setting up, there is a lot to be learnt. It’s not always about money, but there is also the need to learn more to even to understand the industry. So come to us to take you through it until a point we realise that you are capable of a financial facility, then we assist you.”
Mr. Nettey was speaking on the Citi Business Festival virtual forum on Citi TV, on Tuesday, June 15, 2021.
He noted that the financial institution is being deliberate in the banking processes to cushion agribusiness ventures as a strategy to make them experience growth and sustainability.
“At Absa, we have been very intentional in supporting agribusiness and the facility we churned out this year shows that people are appreciative of it. But we still want to do more, with support from various partners. We are bent on doing this to ensure that finances flow through the value chain,” Mr. Nettey added.
The forum, the third of its kind, was on the theme, ‘Feeding Ghana with a sound import substitution strategy.
It had James Boateng, the founder of Kwafre Farms and a former National Best Farmer; Catherine Krobo Edusei, an Agribusiness Entrepreneur and the CEO of Eden Tree, while Kwesi Korboe, an Agric Economist and the MD of GIRSAL; and Benjamin Gyan Kesse, the Director of the Kosmos Innovation Center, joined via the zoom answering all questions bordering on Ghana’s Agricultural Space.
The virtual business fora will be live on Citi TV throughout the month of June every Tuesday from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.
The on-air series on the Citi Breakfast Show also airs from Monday to Thursday at 9:20 am. The sessions on radio have been themed to correspond with the virtual fora.
Topics left to be discussed in the coming weeks are Trade – AfCFTA: Opportunities for investment & Job creation in Ghana and Oil and Gas – The opportunities for indigenous businesses for weeks four and five respectively.
The Citi Business Festival is sponsored by Absa Bank, Ghana, with support from IT Consortium and the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC).
It is also powered by Citi FM, Citi TV, and Ghana’s most comprehensive business news website, www.citibusinessnews.com.