Bank of Ghana

This note reviews the microfinance sector in Ghana within the context of its potential for growth and development. The paper argues that microfinance, when properly harnessed can make significant contributions through several channels. Microfinance can promote higher investment leading to economic empowerment, which in turn promotes confidence and self-esteem, particularly for the vulnerable. In other words, microfinance creates access to productive capital for the poor, which together with human (addressed through education and training) and social capital (achieved through local organization building), enables people to move out of poverty. The study recommends that, efforts must be geared towards the improvement of the institutional capacity as well as the regulatory framework of the microfinance sector in Ghana.