Accra, Jan. 18, GNA - The management of ProCredit, a microfinance company, on Monday opened a Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) Clients' Business Centre to provide specialized solutions to the demands of players within the sector.

The Centre, being manned by staff trained specifically to handle the issues of customers, would operate on client-manager relationship basis, ensuring that they receive the best investment advice to enable them to contribute to the country's socio-economic development.

Mr. Raymond Bismarck, Deputy General Manager, ProCredit, inaugurated the facility in Accra, assisted by Mr. George Aboagye, Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC). Mr Bismarck said the establishment of the Centre consolidated the company's position as the best in developing innovative products to satisfy demands of customers. He said with the Centre, ProCredit was determined to become the leader in providing adequate credit facilities at competitive rates to SMEs, which was crucial to development of the country. "ProCredit proves once more its innovative approach through the creation of services fully dedicated to SMEs; this gives a more complete meaning to ProCredit's philosophy of 'better banking for everyone," he said.

Mr. Bismarck said the company would continue to provide socially responsible products and services with transparent pricing approach to SMEs, an area which was largely ignored by most financial institutions. Mr. Aboagye on his part, called on the management of ProCredit to use the Centre to provide comprehensive, sound financial advice and support to SMEs to propel the sector into nationally renowned or multinational corporations. He said most SMEs could transform into highly profitable larger companies if they received proper education, guidance and carefully crafted business plans.

Mr. Aboagye urged management to use the Centre to convince stakeholders within the sector to patronize its services to ensure expansion. ProCredit, a member of the ProCredit Group International, began operations in Ghana in 2002, and currently has 23 branches serving 170,000 clients in six regions of the country.