The Development Bank Ghana (DBG) is injecting GH₵500 million into Ghana’s agricultural value chain this year, as part of a broader push to empower SMEs, enhance food security, and revitalize the economy, CEO Dr. Randolph Nsor-Ambala has announced.
The initiative, unveiled during the 2025 Kwahu Business Forum in Mpraeso under the theme “The Future of Business: The Role of the Financial Sector,” aims to provide not just capital, but targeted technical assistance to businesses and partner financial institutions. DBG’s approach seeks to build a sustainable, inclusive economy by directing resources to sectors with high potential for growth and job creation.
“DBG is about inclusive opportunity creating jobs, building resilient businesses, and making Ghana competitive in both African and global markets,” Dr. Nsor-Ambala said during his keynote address.
Acknowledging the critical role of agriculture in Ghana’s economy, Dr. Nsor-Ambala highlighted that the Bank’s strategy goes beyond financing. DBG is actively working to strengthen financial institutions’ capacity to assess and support agribusinesses, a sector often considered high-risk.
To de-risk investments, DBG is collaborating with development partners to implement partial credit guarantees and agriculture-specific insurance schemes. These tools are designed to incentivize financial institutions to lend more confidently to agribusinesses, especially small and medium enterprises operating across the value chain from input suppliers to processors and distributors.
Since its establishment three years ago, DBG has disbursed GH₵1.62 billion in long-term loans to over 650 businesses, with financing tenures of up to 15 years. These investments are projected to create over 18,000 direct jobs and have already reached 13 of Ghana’s 16 regions. The Bank plans to achieve full national coverage by the end of 2025.
DBG’s interventions align with the government’s economic recovery agenda, which prioritizes local production, SME empowerment, and reduced reliance on imports. In addition to agriculture, the Bank’s focus areas include manufacturing (particularly import-substituting and export-driven industries), ICT, health, education, and transport infrastructure.
Dr. Nsor-Ambala emphasized DBG’s role as a development finance institution designed to work behind the scenes channeling affordable, long-term financing through Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs) to catalyze private sector growth. This model bridges the financing gap faced by SMEs and supports innovation, productivity, and resilience.
“Most know us for affordable long-term loans, but our work extends further. We provide technical assistance and policy advocacy, ensuring businesses and financial institutions alike are equipped to unlock Ghana’s economic potential,” he said.
DBG’s capital base has been supported by key international development partners, including the World Bank, European Investment Bank, KfW (Germany’s development bank), and the African Development Bank reflecting strong investor confidence in its mandate and impact.
As Ghana eyes industrialization, economic diversification, and job creation, DBG’s GH₵500 million agric-focused investment signals a bold move toward sustainable development. The Bank’s model, fusing finance with technical and institutional capacity-building sets the stage for a new era of inclusive economic growth.
With agriculture, manufacturing, and digital innovation at the centre of its strategy, DBG is poised to drive the transformation of Ghana’s economic landscape one enterprise at a time.
