Micro-Loans and Micro Enterprises in Ghana: Players, Roles and Challenges

The role of micro-enterprises in developing countries cannot be under-estimated. Access to finance is critical to the growth of micro-enterprises. Contrary to the past, financial institutions in Ghana are now embracing the idea of financing micro-enterprises. The study examines the forms of financial institutions involved in the provision of micro-loans, the role of micro-loans in the micro-enterprises, and the challenges micro-enterprises face in accessing micro-loans. The simple random sampling technique was employed to collect data from 400 micro-enterprises. The study reveals that both mainstream universal banks and microfinance institutions are involved in the provision of micro loans to micro-enterprises. Also, micro-loans have impacted positively on the micro-enterprises in the study. Finally, high interest rates, provision of collateral, requirement to save regularly and short repayment period are the major challenges micro-enterprises face in accessing micro-loans in Ghana. Keywords: Ghana, micro-loans, micro enterprises, role, challenge