Fidelity Business Academy, an academy affiliated to Fidelity Bank, has ended an IFC-accredited capacity building programme for the first class of participants operating in the small to medium scale enterprises (SMEs), at an event on Friday June 7. The Business Academy has been established to build capacity for Fidelity Bank’s SME customers through formalised training, educational seminars, and networking events. Certificates were also presented to the participants. The Academy offers a workshop-based programmes for capacity building and knowledge sharing around, proper business records, simple book keeping tools, cash flow management and marketing strategies among others. The courses are accredited by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and are being delivered in partnership with Rainbow Consultancy. Speaking at the awarding ceremony, Mrs. Linda Ampah, a beneficiary of the Business Academy, said the programme has “ been a very useful program”. “I believe as SME’s, we will be looking to take on board the strategies we have been coached on, such as keeping of proper records, to help our businesses grow, ” she stated. Joyce Mensah, another beneficiary of the capacity building seminar intimated: “It’s been a wonderful program. As an entrepreneur, I have now appreciated the importance of separating myself from the business”. The Deputy Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, Mr. Jim Baiden, said the bank is committed to seeing its SME clients improve year-on-year. He said the “Fidelity Business Academy will play a critical role in helping to deepen business knowledge and strengthen operational procedures in these small and medium sized business”. Mr. Kwesi Kumah of the IFC added that the SME sector is the heartbeat of the Ghanaian economy, and that the IFC’s collaboration with Fidelity Bank is a key platform for the organisation to build capacity for SMEs. “We will continue our partnership with Fidelity Bank to achieve this purpose”, he said. In a release from the bank, it stated the Business Academy will extend the program of knowledge sharing with upcoming sessions in Kumasi, Takoradi and other commercial centres around the country.