The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has encouraged the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to consider issuing green bonds on Ghana’s domestic capital market as part of efforts to deepen sustainable finance and unlock funding for climate focused investments.
Second Deputy Governor Mrs Matilda Asante Asiedu said making green bond instruments accessible to local banks would further embed sustainability principles within Ghana’s financial system and provide long term financing for environmentally responsible projects.
She made these remarks in Accra at the signing ceremony of a Risk Sharing Guarantee Scheme agreement between Access Bank Ghana Plc and the IFC, describing the partnership as both strategic and timely for Ghana’s economic transformation.
According to Mrs Asante Asiedu, the future of sustainable finance in Ghana must be anchored in innovative instruments that mobilise domestic capital while supporting national development and climate goals.
The Deputy Governor said the risk sharing arrangement represents an important intervention designed to unlock growth and opportunity within Ghana’s agricultural sector, particularly along the cocoa value chain.
She noted that the scheme aligns closely with Ghana’s broader national priorities, including expanding financial inclusion, strengthening private sector participation and accelerating economic diversification.
Mrs Asante Asiedu explained that the facility has been deliberately structured to provide critical working capital support to Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs), which she described as the backbone of Ghana’s domestic cocoa purchasing system.
She said LBCs play a pivotal role in linking smallholder farmers to global markets, making their financial stability a matter of national economic importance rather than a purely commercial concern.
Ensuring the liquidity of LBCs safeguards rural livelihoods, strengthens export earnings and supports exchange rate resilience, she stressed, adding that sustained financing of the cocoa sector is essential to protecting Ghana’s foreign exchange inflows and maintaining macroeconomic balance.
The Deputy Governor commended the IFC for its consistent commitment to Ghana’s economic transformation through investments, partnerships and development finance initiatives.
She said the latest collaboration in the cocoa sector further demonstrates the organisation’s long term dedication to strengthening Ghana’s economic resilience and prosperity.
Mrs Asante Asiedu noted that the agreement comes at a pivotal moment for the Ghanaian economy, which she described as stronger and more resilient than it has been in recent years.
Through prudent monetary policy implementation and disciplined fiscal management, Ghana has restored macroeconomic stability, strengthened investor and consumer confidence, supported economic growth and returned inflation to single digit levels, she said.
This improved and more predictable macroeconomic environment provides a solid foundation for banks to recalibrate their business models and expand financing to the real and productive sectors of the economy, she explained.
Agriculture remains central to job creation, improved livelihoods, export growth and overall national development, making targeted financial support to the sector both necessary and urgent, she emphasised.
Mrs Asante Asiedu also used the occasion to commend the management and staff of Access Bank Ghana Plc for their consistent growth and meaningful contribution to Ghana’s banking sector.
She disclosed that as at the end of December 2025, Access Bank Ghana recorded total assets of 19.47 billion Ghana cedis, representing 4.36 percent of industry assets.
The bank’s ability to mobilise deposits of 14.27 billion cedis reflects strong market confidence, customer loyalty and institutional credibility, she said.
Beyond balance sheet expansion, she noted that the bank delivered strong profitability in 2025, achieving a Return on Assets (ROA) of 3.75 percent and a Return on Equity (ROE) of 21.58 percent.
Equally significant is the bank’s Non Performing Loans (NPL) ratio of 3.82 percent, which underscores disciplined credit underwriting and robust risk management practices, she added.
These strengths position Access Bank as a credible and dependable conduit for development finance, particularly in partnerships with reputable international institutions such as the IFC, the Deputy Governor said.
Mrs Asante Asiedu described the signing ceremony as a major step forward in financing Ghana’s cocoa supply value chain.
Through the provision of a credit guarantee, she explained, the IFC is helping to lower barriers to finance, reduce lending risks and enable safer and more scalable credit to key actors who sustain Ghana’s export economy.
This partnership exemplifies how strategic credit guarantees can de risk agriculture, crowd in private capital and advance national development objectives, she said.
On behalf of BoG, Mrs Asante Asiedu congratulated both Access Bank Ghana Plc and the IFC on reaching the milestone, urging the bank’s management to deploy the facility efficiently, responsibly and with measurable impact.
She stressed that effective utilisation of the scheme would help ensure that Ghana’s cocoa value chain remains competitive, resilient and inclusive, while reinforcing the role of the financial sector in supporting sustainable growth and long term economic stability.
