Stop Just Lending and Start Partnering with Businesses- BoG to Banks

The Bank of Ghana (BoG) wants banks to go beyond handing out loans and consider “strategic partnerships with businesses for sustainable economic growth.

Speaking at the Post-130th MPC Heads of Banks meeting on June 16, 2026, at Bank Square, the Governor said banks must go beyond financing and take on advisory roles.

“Banks must go beyond financing and increasingly position themselves as strategic partners to businesses. This includes providing business advisory services, supporting entrepreneurship, facilitating market access, and developing export clinics that help businesses identify opportunities in markets where your parent institutions, subsidiaries, and strategic partners already operate,” Dr Asiama told bank CEOs.

The call comes as BoG reaffirms the resilience of Ghana’s economy, driven by growth in private sector credit, industry, consumption and trade.

However, Dr Asiama stressed that the financial system’s long-term health depends on a vibrant real sector including manufacturing, agriculture, services and exports.

He argued that banks are best placed to help businesses scale by using their networks, data and international links.

“Export clinics” run by banks, he suggested, could connect Ghanaian firms to markets where their parent banks or subsidiaries already operate.

With macroeconomic conditions stable and financial technology advancing, the Governor said banks have the tools to deliver better services to households and SMEs.

He wants them to provide business advisory, support entrepreneurship, and help firms access new markets instead of limiting their role to credit.

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