Ghana’s private capital and investment industry is entering a new phase of ecosystem strengthening, following Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)’s deeper engagement in SME financing through the Ghana Investment Support Programme (GhISP).

With SECO joining forces with British International Investment under GhISP, the partnership is reinforcing the work of the Ghana Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (GVCA) to unlock long-term capital for small and medium-sized enterprises and build a more resilient private capital market in Ghana.

At a high-level stakeholder gathering in Accra, the GVCA underscored the urgent need for stronger coordination across debt, credit, equity and technical support platforms to accelerate SME growth and attract long-term capital.

The Chief Executive Officer of the association, Amma Gyampo, described the emerging partnerships as a turning point for Ghana’s SME financing architecture.

“It’s really critical for us to see more collaboration in the SME financing space between debt, between credit, between equity and support systems, support programmes like the Ghana Investment Support Programme,” she said.

The GhISP, powered by British International Investment and supported by SECO, is designed to strengthen investment readiness and expand deal flow to underserved SMEs in Ghana.

The initiative places particular emphasis on gender-smart investing, diversity-lens strategies and climate-aligned finance. For the venture capital community, the programme signals more than technical assistance. It represents a coordinated attempt to elevate the broader private capital ecosystem.

“I think it’s so exciting for us to see a collaboration of this nature, so we can actually elevate some of the ecosystem activities already ongoing to develop our venture capital and private equity managers, to develop their funds, to make the policy environment much friendlier for us to build a very resilient and competitive financial ecosystem,” Ms Gyampo noted.

The event brought together development finance institutions, private capital funds, transaction advisers, SMEs and ecosystem partners. Representatives from the Ministry of Finance, the British High Commission, the Swiss Embassy, as well as BII and SECO, reaffirmed their commitment to private sector development as a driver of inclusive growth.

Ghana’s SME sector remains the backbone of the economy, accounting for a significant share of employment and enterprise activity. Yet access to long-term, patient capital continues to constrain expansion, innovation and competitiveness.

Industry players argue that bridging the financing gap requires coordinated policy reform, stronger fund management capacity and increased local capital mobilisation.

Ms Gyampo stressed that the collaboration could serve as a catalyst for deeper capital allocation to indigenous businesses.

“We’re very excited to have this collaboration come to fruition, and we see this as being a great catalyst for even more support to increase the allocation of funding available for our local companies through our own local investment funds and our fund managers,” she said.

By aligning technical assistance with investment strategies, GhISP aims to drive measurable development impact while crowding in private capital. The programme focuses on pipeline development, capacity building for fund managers and SMEs, and improving the overall investment climate to attract both domestic and international investors.

For GVCA, the long-term objective is clear: to build a resilient and competitive financial ecosystem capable of channelling sustainable capital into growth-ready enterprises.

Ultimately, as Gyampo emphasised, the goal is “to fuel the growth of our SMEs, our small businesses, our medium-sized businesses in particular, which are ripe for investments of this nature.”

With global development partners reinforcing Ghana’s private capital framework, stakeholders believe the country is better positioned to unlock the full potential of its SME sector and strengthen its role as a competitive investment destination in West Africa.