52 targeted communities in the Central Region.
The project can partner with the Commission to train folks who want to take pineapple farming, salt mining and gari processing as diversified livelihood.
Company assets:
Experience in building capacity in alternative livelihood, recognition and knowledge of the region in terms of economic activities.
Previouscurrent engagement with USAID if any:
Stakeholder in the implementation of the USAID Feed the Future Program in the Central Region.
The Commission has partnered with USAID to establish a Computer Training
Center in the Central Region.
Drawbacks mini-due diligence:
The Commission relies exclusively on government subvention to fund its activities. It cannot therefore sustain a partnership if there is reduction in government
subversion.
Point of Contact:
Spencer Taylor Acting Executive Director
T: +233 3321 32288 32296 M: +233 244 251798
E: spencer_taylorcedecomgh.comspencer_taylor16yahoo.com Website:
www.cedecomgh.com
Interview Summary: CERSGIS
Centre for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Services
Business SectorIndustry: ICTSpatial Planning
Location of OperationsProduction: Accra, Ghana
Date of Interview: July 7, 2015
Location of Interview: Accra, Ghana
Company FocusProduct:
The Centre for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Services CERSGIS started as a Remote Sensing Application Laboratory in 1990 at the Department of
Geography and Resource Development, University of Ghana, Legon. As part of the Ghana Environmental Resource Management Project GERMP, the
Centre was commissioned by the Environmental Protection Agency as a Remote Sensing Application Unit to produce land use and cover maps for Ghana’s
Environmental Information System Development project. In 2000, the status of the Remote Sensing Application Unit changed to Centre for
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Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Services CERSGIS. The change of name meant change of strategic focus from a funded establishment to
a self-sustaining Non-profit Organization that focused on providing geographic information and remote sensing services for sustainable development planning and
management of resources. The Centre offers Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems GIS
services for land and water resources appraisal and monitoring such as rural and urban land use pattern and trend analysis.
The Centre also provides support for research and teaching of the application of GIS and Remote Sensing to resources management.
The Centre is currently involved in the development of spatial databases for mapping land use and land cover changes, desertification and flood hazards.
In addition, the Centre offers, spatial modeling, vulnerability risk assessment and
capacity building in GPS and GIS applications.
Business Interests:
CERSGIS is interested in partnering with government, non-government institutions and the private sector through Special Purpose Vehicle by providing geographic
information and remote sensing services for sustainable development planning and management of resources.
Business Challenges:
Perception that the Centre is a public agency as such should not charge fees on commercial basis for their services.
The need to do consistent upgrades or changes of equipment to keep pace with modern methods of remote sensing and geographic information.
Generation of adequate funds from its operations for sustainable running of the centre in absence of Government subvention.
CSR if any:
Have no CSR policy.
AlliancePartnership Potential highmediumlow:
Medium
Program Areas Project Overlap:
The company can provide satellite imagery and data on sea surface temperature, location of fish species, location of sea pollutants among others to aid the Fisheries
Commission in fish stock assessment and marine policy formulation. Can also provide support services for spatial development of fishing communities.
Company assets:
Technology, expertise and recognition.
Previouscurrent engagement with USAID if any:
Partnered with the USAID ADVANCE project by providing spatial planning data.
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Drawbacks mini-due diligence:
Fisheries Commission may not be able to afford the recurrent cost of services the Centre will provide to the commission. This will derail the sustainability of the
partnership.
Point of Contact:
Foster Mensah Executive Director
T: +233 302 500301 501796 M: +233 243 352468
E: fmensahug.edu.gh
Website:
www.cersgis.org
Interview Summary: Ecobank Ghana
Ecobank Ghana
Business SectorIndustry:
Banking
Location of OperationsProduction: Accra, Ghana
Date of Interview: May 15, 2015
Location of Interview: Accra, Ghana
Company FocusProduct:
Ecobank Ghana EBG is part of the Ecobank Group i.e. Ecobank Transnational Incorporated ETI
ETI is a public limited liability company which was established as a bank holding company in 1985 under a private sector initiative spearheaded by the Federation of
West African Chambers of Commerce and Industry with the support of Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS.
ETI operates in 32 countries across Africa.
Ecobank Ghana EBG was established in 1990.
In December 2011, Bank of Ghana, gave approval for Ecobank Transnational to acquire 100 interest in The Trust Bank TTB, a licensed commercial bank
operating in Ghana.
EBG is located in all 10 regions of Ghana – total of 25 branches and workforce of
about 268.
EBG Return on Equity R.O.E has consistently been over 40 percent in the last five
years and Return on Assets R.O.A in the range of 4 percent. The bank has also increased profit before tax by three-fold since 1998.
The bank is increasingly focusing on retail and consumer banking by investing in
cards and ATMs. EBG has consistently been the greater contributor to the Group in terms of revenue.
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Business Interests:
EBG is interested in continuously expanding to reach the market unbanked and
recapitalize to sustain its growth rate.
EBG is also interested in expanding its loan portfolio to SMEs, through among other things, building the capacity of Small and Medium Enterprises SMEs and
supporting them to grow into corporate enterprises to position them to improve their
credit worthiness.
Business Challenges:
Lack of information of operations of SMEs to help appraise their activities and aid in loan disbursement.
Unreliable cash flow poor business and financial management making it difficult for SMEs to pay back loans.
Collateral gap – inability of many SME clients to provide the necessary collateral to secure loans although they have bankable project proposals.
Reluctance to advance the needed credit to most SMEs as they are not well structured in-terms of governance and most SMEs undertake multiple businesses at
the same time and thus find it difficult to manage them and generate the necessary cash to pay back loans.
Ecobank Ghana has experienced difficult challenges in granting loans to the fisheries sector in the past due to many reasons including lack of proper
understanding of the fisheries sector leading to the sector being classified as a risky one to lend to.
CSR if any:
Community development in education, health and environmental sustainability
AlliancePartnership Potential highmediumlow: Low
Program areas Project overlap:
Ecobank Ghana is opened to risk sharing arrangements at best 50:50 with partners in the management of loan portfolio.
Company assets:
Large market share, present in all regions and very liquid.
Member of a strong banking group in 32 African countries with strong cash flows
for lending to all sectors.
Expertise in providing access to finance to corporate and SME clients through a
previous partnership with USAID
Previouscurrent engagement with USAID if any:
Partnered with USAID in 2007 and 2008 to successfully provide access to finance for SMEs in West Africa with a focus on the wood processing,
appareltextile, handicrafts, shea nutsshea butter and food processing sectors. Drawbacks mini-due diligence:
The bank’s interest is not geared towards the fisheries sector but other sectors that
have demonstrated sound financial viability.
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Point of Contact: George Mensah-Asante
Executive Director, Domestic Banking, Ecobank Ghana Limited
19, Seventh Avenue, Ridge West, PMB, GPO, Accra, Ghana.
Cell+233 244 573 530 Email:gmensah-asanteecobank.com
Website:
www.ecobank.com
Interview Summary: Enterprise Development Centre
Enterprise Development Centre
Business SectorIndustry:
Training and Capacity Building
Location of OperationsProduction: Takoradi, Ghana
Date of Interview: June 15, 2015
Location of Interview: Takoradi, Ghana
Company FocusProduct:
The Enterprise Development Centre EDC is a Government of Ghanas initiative spearheaded by the Ministries of Energy and Petroleum MoEP and Trade and
Industry MoTI in collaboration with the Jubilee Partners. The Centrre was established in 2013 with the primary objective of providing support
to Ghanaian Small and Medium Enterprises GhSMEs to competitively position themselves and take advantage of the numerous business opportunities in the oil and
gas sector. The centre is to be run for 5 years under a US 5 million grant facility.
The training areas that EDC provides include; business plan development, financial management, procurement, effective bookkeeping etc. The centre also provides
coaching to SMEs. The centre has trained over 400 SMEs since its establishment.
The training that EDC does is free. The training is implemented by Enablis – an international business development
consulting firm.
Business Interests:
EDC is interested in training SMEs to position them secure contracts and jobs from the oil and gas companies.
EDC is also interested in serving as liaison between SMEs and, the oil and gas firms so tenders from the oil and gas firms are matched or paired to appropriate SMEs.
Business Challenges:
Lack of finance on the part of SMEs to execute projects won. These SMEs are the ones trained by the centre.
Perception of some SMEs that the center may collapse i.e. sustainability of the
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centre after the project ends in 2018. Wide gap between the number of SMEs trained by the center and those successful in
winning contracts making the enthusiasm of most SMEs towards training quite low.
CSR if any:
The centre does not embark on any CSR as it is a project.
AlliancePartnership Potential highmediumlow: Medium
Program Areas Project Overlap:
The centre can train the fish processing women in bookkeeping, procurement and financial management to build their skills to effectively manage their business. The
knowledge gained can be used by the fish processors to partner with catering companies and provide services to the oil and gas companies when there is a tender.
Company assets:
Free training, experience in SME capacity building and location.
Previouscurrent engagement with USAID if any: None Known
Drawbacks mini-due diligence:
Apart from business management the centre cannot provide any training in areas of food safety, processing etc.
In addition, the trained women will need catering firms to spearhead their businesses into the oil and gas industry.
Point of Contact:
Paul Amoako Adjei Manager, Business Development and Incubation
T: +233 320 766909 M: +233 275 885599 243 166204
E: paul.adjeiedcghana.org Website:
