Netherlands to support small businesses

Local private businesses can now access financial and other logistical support from the Netherlands government’s Private Sector Investment (PSI) programme.

The programme seeks to stimulate financial growth, create employment opportunities, and generate income for businesses through creating opportunities for the local private sector to partner their counterparts from the Netherlands in investments.

Speaking at a meeting with the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) in Accra, Ms. Frokje Verreijt, Project Officer of the PSI Programme, said the programme consists of two thematic areas -- both of which have been designed to boost local private businesses.

“The Netherlands PSI programme is targetted at offering expertise from the Netherlands to local private companies that are interested in acquiring specific knowledge from the Netherlands to boost business growth.

“The other is a matchmaking facility that will help local private companies find business partners in the Netherlands either for trade, business or investment.

She encouraged small and medium enterprises to take advantage of the facility to grow their businesses.

“The PSI is a programme for entrepreneurs because we want to start innovative businesses in Ghana. The most important material for this programme is that the local company has an international partner who wants to invest in their business.

“You can also apply for the matchmaking facility, which is here to support existing industrialised companies that are financially feasible. With this, we can arrange business plans for the local company to meet business partners in the Netherlands,” Ms. Verreijt explained.

Executive Director of the AGI, Mr. Seth Twum-Akwaboah, said small businesses need to form joint ventures with international counterparts, and the Netherlands government attaches great importance to the private sector in developing countries because it is the driving force behind poverty alleviation.

 “Creating employment and transferring knowledge contributes to economic development, and the PSI assists the business community to bring this about.” 

PSI is a programme of the Dutch government that supports investments in emerging markets in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

The programme aims to stimulate investments in developing countries and develop long-term commercial relations with companies in those markets. 

It is funded by the Ministry for Development Cooperation of the Netherlands and executed by the Agency for International Business and Cooperation (EVD).