Finance Ministry backed the Ghana Investment Support Programme’s partnership with the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, as officials and private-sector investors met in Accra to mark progress on efforts to strengthen small and medium-sized enterprises.
The gathering brought together development partners and investment community actors to assess milestones under the programme aimed at improving SME access to finance, building capacity and supporting economic growth.
Powered by British International Investment (BII) and supported by Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO, GhISP is designed to strengthen investment, and deal flows to underserved SMEs in Ghana. This new partnership marks a significant step in extending our commitment to private sector development.
To mark the occasion, GhISP convened key stakeholders, including private capital funds, transaction advisors, SMEs and ecosystem partners at the Kempinski Hotel Accra. The event featured keynote addresses and remarks by representatives from the Ministry of Finance, British High Commission, Swiss Embassy, and BII and SECO.
BII Coverage Director for Ghana, Kwabena Asante-Poku, started off the event by officially welcoming SECO to the programme. “We are honoured to have you with us and are deeply appreciative of your confidence in what we are building in Ghana.
“Tonight is about partnerships, it’s about possibility, it’s about the simple belief that when you invest in people and their ideas, you unlock growth that last. Over the last three years, GhISP has been doing just that: supporting Ghanaian SMEs to strengthen their systems, to sharpen their strategies, to meet standards that make them investment ready.”
A panel discussion delivered insights on investment pipeline development and portfolio evidence, technical assistance effectiveness, and collaboration and delivery methods – bringing to light perspectives from investors, delivery partners and SMEs.
Cynthia Arthur, Head of Capital Markets, Ministry of Finance acknowledged the challenges and solutions brought to light during the panel discussion and added, “Today is not merely about launching a programme or about strengthening the foundations of enterprises in Ghana.
It is also about expanding opportunities and building an economy that works for many, not just a few. This partnership reflects a shared conviction that when capital, expertise and sound policy align, Ghanaian businesses can thrive.
“SMS are the backbone of our economy. They create jobs, drive innovation and sustain communities. Yet too many SMEs remain constrained. Many are caught in the finance capacity trap. This is why high-quality affordable transaction advisory and pipeline development are so critical. Without them, viable businesses remain invisible to capital.
It is against this backdrop that the Government strongly welcomes this programme, which focuses on pipeline development, capacity building, gender-smart investing, diversity-lens investing and climate-aligned finance.
“The Ministry of Finance reaffirms the strong support for this partnership. We stand ready to work with SECO, the Ghana Investment Support Programme, British International Investment and all stakeholders to scale what works and deliver lasting impact.
Our shared objective is clear: an SME ecosystem where viable enterprises are not constrained by access to capital and where investment translates into jobs, resilience and shared prosperity.
We, at the Ministry of Finance, see this as an investment in systems, so it’s not just a programme, but we see as it as improving our ecosystem, and we are committed to ensuring that this transformation that we all seek happens.”
Delivering the keynote address, Magdalena Wuest, Head of Cooperation at SECO, noted that “Switzerland is pleased to join and reinforce an initiative that already has strong foundations. Experience has shown that technical assistance delivers impact when it has a clear line of sight to investment, when support is focused, practical and connected to real capital pathways.
“This occasion is a celebration of shared purpose and collective commitment to strengthening Ghana’s private sector and to ensuring that enterprise investment and opportunity can flourish in a way that is inclusive, resilient and sustainable.”
The Ghana Investment Support Programme (GhISP) is a technical assistance initiative, powered by British International Investment (BII) and supported by State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO.
It aims to increase investment flows to underserved SMEs in Ghana, with a particular focus on gender, inclusion and climate investing. GhISP is designed to drive enhanced development impact while being aligned with investment strategies in Ghana. Learn more on www.ghisp.org.
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