The African Development Bank (AfDB) plans to commit about US$295 million to support programmes in its operational areas from 2015.
Some of the projects include independent power producers (IPPs) and a salt project.
The AfDB Resident Representative of the Ghana Country Office, Mrs Marie-Laure Akin-Olugbade, who disclosed this on the sidelines of a US$1 million grant signing agreement with Invest in Africa (IIA), explained that the pipeline projects would add to the portfolio of US$122 million already committed to various projects in the country.The AfDB supports a lot of private sector development activities such as the Ghana SME Business Linkages Programme, designed and implemented by Invest in Africa, a private sector facilitation organisation for its Africa Partner Pool (APP) members.
About 200 small and mediums scale enterprises (SMEs) have registered on the APP which is a unique electronic online database of companies which have been pre-qualified and validated by IIA to match them with large businesses for supply linkages.
The platform is part of a broader approach by IIA to nurture SMEs in the country, build their capacity in management and skills and match them with large companies operating in the country so that they can source goods and services from them.
The US$1 million grant is, therefore, to enable IIA to deliver hands on training to an initial SME population of about 120, selected from the electronic platform based on an objective and fair criteria from the second quarter of 2015.
The Managing Director of IIA, Mr Sam Brandful, signed the agreement on behalf of his organisation in Accra on November 26, while Mrs Akin-Olugbade, signed on behalf of the development bank.
IIA explained that those with fully completed profiles and best able to demonstrate their determination to grow, improve governance structures, and meet international standards would have an increased chance of being selected.
Mrs Akin-Olugbade said the Ghana Business Linkages Programme, the first to receive support from the Japan and Austria sponsored Fund for Africa Private Sector Assistance (FAPA), was the beginning as the “bank will continue to identify other opportunities in support of its vision to build a competitive private sector across Ghana and Africa.”
The Africa Partner Pool
Local businesses registered on the APP will have a profile page to promote their business, while international and domestic companies are able to use a search tool to help them find suppliers with the qualifications, experience and standards they need.
A tender’s notice board will also feature buyers’ tenders from across sectors, giving local businesses greater visibility of opportunities.
The APP was developed in response to research findings that international companies seeking local partners faced difficulty identifying validated local SMEs from which to procure goods and services.
“By this agreement, the AfDB and IIA will provide the business community workable and practicable channel to pull resources and address the challenges facing SMEs,” Mr Brandful said.
He expressed the hope that by the end of the three-year period, the programme would have a catalogue of good outcomes to justify a second tranche, adding “the programme sets the stage for us to build the capacity of the selected SMEs to position themselves appropriately to be able to increase competitiveness.”
The managing director of IIA added that the Africa Partner Pool was designed to help solve challenges SMEs faced in doing business with large companies, such as market access, finance and skills “we believe that we could make it work with the support of the partners, as we present a workable channel to improve themselves and participation in the business value chain”.
As part of the programme, Invest in Africa will also host a number of best practice forums to share knowledge and experience of IIA's partners, graduate SMEs, global experts and investors to continue to raise standards, win business and support other Ghanaian SMEs on how to access new markets and finance. GB