Ghana and Papua New Guinea launch women‑focused SME loan programmes

In Ghana, Development Bank Ghana (DBG) unveiled a Women’s Lending Programme aimed at expanding affordable, long‑term capital for women‑owned and women‑led businesses. The launch, part of DBG’s fifth‑anniversary celebrations in Kumasi, highlighted the bank’s goal to create over 500,000 jobs and support more than 5,000 businesses, with a particular focus on overcoming collateral, formalisation and technical‑assistance challenges faced by female entrepreneurs.

In Papua New Guinea’s Nakanai District, the Nakanai District Development Authority (NDDA) partnered with Women’s Micro Bank (Mama Bank) to distribute the first batch of SME loan statements to 20 mothers from the Pulabe area in Hoskins. Each recipient received a K1,000 loan, part of a total K154,000 injection intended to boost small‑business activity and household incomes across the district. The ceremony was officiated by Francis Galia Maneke, Minister for Oil Palm and President of the Hoskins Rural LLG.