DBG, German Parliamentarians hold strategic dialogue on economic empowerment, Green Financing

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 Develop­ment Bank Ghana (DBG) has hosted a delegation from Germa­ny’s Bundestag (Federal Parlia­ment).

A statement issued by the bank in Accra yesterday said discussions during the meeting spanned DBG’s forward-looking initiatives, including the Green Finance & Investment Facility and the DBG Guarantee product, highlighting DBG’s commitment to fostering economic resilience and sustainability.

The Green Credit Line (fi­nanced by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooper­ation and Development (BMZ), implemented by KfW) is envis­aged to start implementation in the second quarter of 2024 in Ghana and is expected to com­plement DBG’s efforts in green financing.

The German delegation was led by Mr Volkmar Klein, MP, representing the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, and Mr Lutz Lienenkämper, the State’s former Finance Minister.

They were joined by Mrs Ramona Simon, Deputy Head of Cooperation at the German Embassy in Ghana, alongside KfW Development Bank’s officials, namely Ms Sarah Christin Petrenz, Senior Portfolio Manager, and Mr Isaac Hagan, Portfolio Coordina­tor – Financial Sector, representing the German state-owned develop­ment bank’s Accra office.

The statement said a focal point of the visit was the intro­duction of the upcoming 3i Africa Summit slated for May 13-15, 2024, in Accra.

It said, “This summit promises to be a ground-breaking event, focusing on technology oppor­tunities within Africa’s financial sector.”

“It aims to explore market dynamics, the leapfrogging of legacy technologies, and the crucial dialogues needed at the intersection of policy, finance, and technology. With a core emphasis on inclusion and sustainability, the 3i Africa Summit aspires to drive meaningful discourse and action­able insights for the continent’s financial ecosystem,” the statement said.

The DBG team, led by Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Michael Mensah-Baah, officials such as Chief Risk Officer, Dr Prince Ad­jei, and heads of the various stra­tegic departments, shared insights into DBG’s operational strategies and its vision for a transformative impact in collaboration with its

 partners.

Reflecting on the discussions, Mr Mensah-Baah said, “The Ger­man Government, through KfW, has been very supportive of DBG and its efforts to foster econom­ic growth by empowering local businesses.”

“We have had fruitful dis­cussions on our operations, our agenda for 2024 and how we are positioned for greater impact through our lending activities and technical assistance to local businesses in collaboration with our partner banks and agencies re­spectively. We look forward to our on-going collaboration and believe that together with our German partners, we will be able to deliver significant transformation. We are primed for this,” he said.

Mr Volkmar Klein, MP from the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia, on the other hand, commended DBG on the work it was doing and how far DBG had come.

 BY KINGSLEY ASARE

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