Vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur has called on financial institutions to improve access to credit in order to support business growth across the country. He added that government’s cooperation on this project would also ensure that the cost of credit is reduced, enabling small-scale businesses to secure the necessary support to develop and therefore deliver an overall boost to the economy. The Vice President, who made the appeal during a meeting with executives of Standard Chartered Bank at the Flagstaff House in Accra yesterday, also spoke of the need to translate Ghana’s low inflation rate into jobs and business growth. Along those lines, he charged Standard Chartered Bank along with local banks to spearhead a reduction in the cost of credit provided to small and medium enterprises. Vice President Amissah-Arthur informed the delegation, led by Standard Chartered Regional Chief Executive Officer for Africa Diana Layfield, of government’s intention to unveil a number of initiatives supporting the private sector in the next budget. “We will request cooperation and partnership of the financial institutions in undertaking these initiatives,” he said, though he did not delve into specific details of the initiatives. He lauded the relationship between the government and Standard Chartered and expressed optimism that the local economy would see further dividends result from their partnership. Mrs. Layfield, for her part, commended Ghana for its steady economic growth over the years, saying the bank was impressed by its gains. She is in Accra for the bank’s regional meeting, and she explained that bank’s the choice to hold the meeting in Ghana reflects its confidence in the Ghanaian economy. She added that her organization is impressed by Ghana’s economic prospects and declared its intention to increase its investments in Ghana. “Ghana’s economic reforms are hugely encouraging for the bank,” she reported, going on to assure the government that the bank is looking forward to future collaborations.