Guillaume Valence (3rd right) with other dignitaries at the event
Advans Ghana Savings and Loans Limited (Advans Ghana) has launched “Mmaa Mpuntuo”, a dedicated financing solution designed to help women entrepreneurs access working capital and investment funding to expand their businesses.
The product is being piloted with an initial GH¢20 million commitment from Development Bank Ghana (DBG), alongside technical support from CapitalPlus Exchange (CapPlus), which supported the product’s design and is helping prepare selected Advans Ghana branches for the pilot.
Mmaa Mpuntuo forms part of Advans Ghana’s Advans Her gender programme and is aimed at addressing the financing and business-support needs identified through research and direct engagement with women customers.
The initiative builds on Advans Ghana’s existing reach among women, who account for 61 percent of its client base but remain concentrated among its smallest borrowers.
In 2025, Advans Ghana disbursed more than GH¢900 million to over 15,000 clients, while the company currently disburses close to GH¢100 million each month.
Launching the product, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Advans Ghana, Guillaume Valence, said women entrepreneurs should not be denied access to credit because of limited collateral.
“We are here to do business, you are here to do business, and we are here to do business together. Refusing a loan because of lesser collateral is not just a shame; it is a business mistake,” he said.
According to the Advans, Mmaa Mpuntuo was developed following research and customer engagement undertaken with CapPlus to better understand the barriers women entrepreneurs face when seeking finance and growing their businesses.
The product offers lower interest rates and processing fees than Advans Ghana’s standard loans, more flexible collateral requirements and faster loan processing, the Savings and Loans company said.
Beneficiaries will also have access to mentoring, business and marketing support, as well as automatic enrolment in EduSave, a savings and investment account designed to help families plan for children’s education and offering higher interest rates for women.
The facility is available to women aged 18 and above, including existing and new Advans Ghana customers, who operate or seek to expand a business and have a clear growth plan.
The Chief Sales and Distribution Officer of Advans Ghana, Barbara Odei, said the initiative was intended to provide women with both finance and knowledge to grow their businesses.
“Women, we want to say this morning that we are here for you. We want to make sure you have access, and we want to make sure you have knowledge,” she said.
DBG’s GH¢20 million commitment forms part of a women-focused fund of more than GH¢300 million launched by the bank in August.
Mr. Valence said the success of the initiative would be measured not only by loan volumes and repayment performance but also by how customers used the financing to secure larger contracts, build savings and invest in their families.
A Business Desk Report