The Development Bank Ghana (DBG) has announced the launch of a new podcast platform, DBG Connect, to foster dialogue and collaboration among key stakeholders in the country’s economic development. The podcast aims to accelerate Ghana’s inclusive and sustainable economic transformation by exploring and discussing key themes of socio-economic interest with industry leaders, experts and policymakers.
DBG Connect is a digital initiative of DBG, a wholesale financial institution established by the Government of Ghana to provide long-term capital and support to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in various sectors of the economy. The bank is committed to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and implementing environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies that create shared value and impact with purpose.
The podcast platform will feature in-depth conversations moderated by a host who engages panellists on topics such as challenges and opportunities in agriculture, leveraging technology to support industry, policy advocacy and agricultural financing, building a competitive private sector and value-chain financing and support. The discussions will be produced in video and audio formats and will be available on the bank’s YouTube channel and various online streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
According to Kwamina Duker, the Chief Executive of DBG, the podcast platform was created out of the necessity to continue the conversations that will generate the needed ideas to augment ongoing efforts directed toward the financial transformation of businesses in Ghana. He said that the issues and challenges faced by businesses, especially SMEs, such as lack of access to capital, regulatory bottlenecks, little or no capacity building, and others, require collaboration and innovation from all captains of industry and leaders of institutions.
“There is a complex problem out there and there is no one messiah, but the fact that we are beginning to have these discussions is so important because all these issues can be resolved by people collaborating. I urge all who are interested in this country’s economic transformation to watch each episode and offer suggestions on the issues and solutions. Links will be provided on our social media channels in order to make it easy to access DBG Connect and also to provide feedback,” he said.
The first episode of DBG Connect is expected to be released today with a focus on tackling the challenges and opportunities in the agricultural sector, which accounts for about 18% of Ghana’s GDP and employs more than half of the labour force. The episode will feature experts and practitioners from the sector who will share their insights and experiences on how to improve productivity, profitability and sustainability of agriculture in Ghana.
The podcast platform is part of DBG’s efforts to foster strong partnerships to finance economic growth, create jobs and build capacity for SMEs in Ghana. The bank has also been involved in providing financial and technical assistance to various sectors such as agribusiness, manufacturing, tourism, health, education, housing and renewable energy. The bank has also been supporting the government’s flagship programmes such as Planting for Food and Jobs, One District One Factory, Ghana CARES Obaatanpa Programme and others.
DBG Connect is expected to be a place where ideas converge, where knowledge is shared and where solutions will be discussed and fashioned. The bank hopes that the podcast will inspire and inform its stakeholders and the general public about the opportunities and potentials of Ghana’s economic transformation.
Source: MyJoyOnline
