Barclays makes funds available for business development

Ho, Sept 30, GNA - Mr Gayheart Edem Mensah, the Communications Manager of Barclays Bank, Ghana has called on Small Scale Business operators in the Volta Region to access the bank's "Local Business Solutions", a product designed to meet the financial needs of small scale businesses. Under the package each applicant could access an initial 50 million cedis without collateral.

Mr Mensah was speaking when officials of the bank paid a courtesy call on the Deputy Volta Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Nayan, as part of the bank's "Miles Ahead Expedition" to the Volta Region. Mr Mensah said all that an applicant would be required to provide in order to access the packa ge was a "viable proposal", prepared with the assistance of the bank. He said beneficiary businesses, which exhibited good management practices, would qualify to access bigger amounts under the package. Mrs Shola Safo-Duodu, Head of Corporate Affairs of the Bank explained that the "Miles Ahead Expedition", a countrywide project of the bank, sought to capture and provide a documentary of the country's tourist attractions for exposure locally and internationally. She said the project estimates to raise one billion cedis, which would be made available through Water Aid Ghana, Habitat for Humanity and World Vision International, for the provision of water, infrastructure and health facilities at tourist sites. Mrs Safo-Duodu said the project, which is a "way of giving back to the community," was being undertaken in collaboration with Type Company Limited, Holy Trinity Medical Centre, Mobil, Toyota and Enterprise Insurance Company (EIC).

Mr Nayan commended the bank for the valuable role it was playing towards the development of the country and expressed the hope that it would consider extending its services to the countryside in support of rural enterprises development. 30 Sept 05