Fidelity Bank urges trade reforms to unlock Ghana’s business potential | Ghanaguardian. com
Fidelity Bank Ghana has called for closer co-operation between stakeholders, more integrated trade systems and focused institutional support to remove the structural obstacles limiting Ghana’s traders and entrepreneurs, especially women-led businesses. The bank made the appeal at the Breaking Barriers to Trade conference, where two senior executives took part in sessions on modernising trade and
Fidelity Bank Ghana has called for closer co-operation between stakeholders, more integrated trade systems and focused institutional support to remove the structural obstacles limiting Ghana’s traders and entrepreneurs, especially women-led businesses. The bank made the appeal at the Breaking Barriers to Trade conference, where two senior executives took part in sessions on modernising trade and strengthening enterprises led by women. Aaron Ameyaw, Director, Banking Operations, said poor-quality data and disconnected customs systems were among the most serious challenges affecting trade in Ghana and the wider region. Speaking during a session titled Reimagining Trade, Influence and Institutional Legacy, Mr Ameyaw said artificial intelligence could have a major impact on commerce, but only if the information used by AI systems was accurate and reliable. “In Ghana, data is a problem. These AI machine learners thrive on data. And so if your data is not correct, you have big issues,” he said. He also urged neighbouring countries to harmonise their customs procedures, arguing that the issue had been left unresolved for too long. Traders, including many women importing products from Lome and Nigeria, still face complicated administrative processes that delay shipments and increase the cost of doing business. Mr Ameyaw welcomed the introduction of the Publican AI System in early 2026, which works alongside the Integrated Customs Management System at Ghana’s ports. He said the technology had already helped contribute to more than US$300 million in additional revenue, demonstrating the potential of effective technology partnerships. He used Fidelity Bank’s own digital transformation as a further example. The bank has introduced robotic process automation into its reconciliation procedures, improving efficiency while allowing staff to focus on more valuable and complex tasks. “The good outweighs the bad when it comes to AI,” he said. “It is important that we get the fundamentals right. Once we get it right, it creates opportunities. And for us at Fidelity, we are always doing that. ”The conference also focused on the particular pressures facing women-owned businesses. Alex Agyei-Amponsah, Director, SME Banking, said women owned between 38% and 46% of businesses in the region, but argued that the main difficulty was not a lack of ambition. “It is not a desire to not grow their business. They actually desire to grow. But the difficulty has been: how can I manage this to the level that I can still take care of the family and still meet other obligations?”Mr Agyei-Amponsah outlined Fidelity Bank’s response through the Fidelity Young Entrepreneurs Fund. The initiative is aimed at women and young people aged between 18 and 40, with the upper age limit for women extending to 45. It is designed to support entrepreneurs from the idea stage, through incubation, and towards becoming funded businesses ready to compete in the market. The programme provides finance at concessionary rates, as well as targeted programmes to help entrepreneurs satisfy regulatory and compliance requirements that can otherwise prevent them from accessing markets. The bank is also using group lending to widen access to finance and commercial opportunities. Mr Agyei-Amponsah cited the example of a member of the Federation of Associations of Ghana Exporters who joined a group to take part in a contract to export yams to Canada. She would not have been able to pursue the contract independently, he said, but the group structure gave her the opportunity to participate. “That is how gradually we are doing it,” he said. “Once this facility is approved and the yam is exported, the next time around that woman’s business will be able to secure a contract by herself. ”Fidelity Bank said its work on trade modernisation and women’s enterprise development was based on the same principle: removing barriers requires both effective systems and institutions prepared to provide support suited to the circumstances of the people and businesses they serve.