Leadership, Management and Council Members of CIB in a group photo with Inductees after the event
The Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr. Johnson Asiama, has urged banks to design loan products that readily meet the needs of exporters in order to deepen the resilience of the financial system.
Speaking at the Chartered Institute of Bankers, Ghana 2025 Governor’s Day in Accra, the Dr. Asiama said banks should be committed to moving from isolated initiatives to a collective export finance strategy that fully aligns with the nation’s drive to earn, produce more and compete globally.
“The banking sector must not sit on the sidelines of Ghana’s export agenda. You must help shape it; and this is the moment for banks to do more to design export-ready loan products, build sector-specific expertise, support risk-sharing and hedging instruments, invest in digital trade platforms, and actively walk with exporters from production to payment,” he said.
“In the year ahead, we expect this momentum to deepen, with banks playing a more active role in financing export-oriented enterprises, managing trade risk, and helping firms move from domestic markets into regional and global value chains,” he stated.
Dr. Asiama, however, noted that though the Bank of Ghana will continue through policy stability, dialogue and targeted regulations to support them, ‘the energy, innovation, and scale must come from the banks’ to support entrepreneurs especially young ones who are ready.
According to the Governor, asset quality will remain a priority to the Central bank in 2026 to provide a window for intelligent loan restructuring and accelerate progress toward the 10 percent Non Performing Loan (NPL) benchmark by end of 2026, without weakening standards giving the ease in interest rates.
“Innovation will remain central, with sharper expectations. Priority will be given to solutions that demonstrate lower costs, expand access, strengthen compliance, and improve risk management.
Clearer guidance will support a level playing field between banks and non-bank providers, ensuring that innovation strengthens regulated institutions rather than displacing them.”
“2026 will also test banks readiness for regional integration, payments, trade finance, FX settlement, and market infrastructure must support cross-border commerce, particularly for SMEs, including through targeted exploration of asset-backed digital settlement instruments, such as gold-backed stable coins, where they can demonstrably reduce cost and friction in intra-African trade,” Dr. Asiama added.
The Governor further mentioned that apart from strengthening supervision, the Central Bank will also invest in the work of the banks by improving clarity of guidance, streamlining internal processes, and providing more predictable timelines for approvals and regulatory engagement.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah