GCB MSME Caravan Clinic unfolds in Accra, boosting support for Ghanaian small businesses

The GCB MSME Caravan Clinic has commenced in Accra, enhancing assistance for Ghanaian small businesses. GCB Bank has extended its support to entrepreneurs in the city through an event held at the Accra City Hotel on Tuesday, October 6, under the theme "MSME Unlocked: Powering Ghanaian Businesses for Sustainable Growth."

The clinic welcomed a variety of entrepreneurs, such as business owners, traders, startups, and women-led enterprises, engaging in practical discussions about financing, sustainable growth, branding, reputation management, and other challenges affecting the resilience and competitiveness of small and growing businesses. The initiative is a part of GCB Bank's broader strategy to deepen its partnership with the MSME sector, focusing on combining access to finance with business knowledge, sector insights, and practical guidance.

GCB Bank's Executive Head of Commercial and Business Banking, Alhassan Iddrisu Danaa, revealed that the MSME Caravan Clinic was introduced following the bank's identification of a gap in its approach to supporting businesses. While GCB already offers financing, cash management, and other banking solutions, the bank recognized that financial support alone was insufficient to address the needs of businesses seeking to grow and scale.

The Caravan Clinic is designed to facilitate deeper partnerships with entrepreneurs by understanding their challenges and providing the necessary expertise and resources to support their growth. It aims to create an environment where GCB Bank can engage with entrepreneurs more closely, learn about their needs, and offer valuable insights and resources that complement their existing knowledge.

The bank's Executive Head of Micro and Small Enterprises, Cedric McAddy, noted that one of the main challenges faced by MSMEs is the difficulty in meeting documentation and record-keeping requirements associated with accessing finance. To overcome this barrier, GCB is aiding businesses in formalizing their transactions and building reliable records through its collection and digital payment solutions.

These transactions provide the bank with valuable data on a business's performance, which can assist in evaluating financing requests. Additionally, GCB has expanded access to unsecured financing for eligible MSMEs, offering facilities up to GH¢1 million based on business turnover. This approach aims to accommodate businesses lacking traditional collateral or extensive financial records.