To be offered at no cost, Deloitte will also teach Ghanaian entrepreneurs good financial management, provide skills set for struggling businesses to survive and thrive and help them to adapt to the evolving market trends.

At the launch of the partnership and the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Accra yesterday, Olumide Olatunji, Managing Director of Access Bank Ghana PLC, revealed that SMEs employed more than 80 per cent workforce in the country and generate over 70 per cent in Gross Domestic Products (GDP) for the country.

“However, Ghana’s SMEs face considerable challenges in growing their businesses. They have limited access to finance and quality providers of technical assistance. They also have few skills and management capabilities,” he stated.

To address this challenges, the two entities will work in tandem to create a hybrid system where clinics, workshops, fairs, business advisory and networking opportunities will be created in real time and online to solve these problems.

“Over the three-year period, we have impacted over 170,000 SMEs through our hybrid clinics, capacity building workshops and fairs across the length and breadth of the country, migrated over 60,000 SMEs into the digital space, disbursed over GH¢504 million in loans to SMEs, including over GH¢150 million collateral free Instant Business Loans,” he added.

Impact

The Country Managing Partner of Deloitte, Daniel Kwadwo Owusu, told the Graphic Business that Deloitte was on board to provide the needed resources to impact the SMEs to ensure the growth of the economy.

“We are in a time of distress for businesses; businesses are struggling to survive, Deloitte, with its 500,000 workforce and more, its professional services and working experience will provide the technical skills and knowledge to these SMEs to thrive once more and grow the Ghanaian economy,’ he stated.