Realizing the importance of Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in driving economic most economies in Africa and their contribution to economic growth, AIL adopts the following steps to SME Development.
- Improving market access for smallholder farmers
- Growing micro-enterprises
- Entrepreneurship training
- Developing markets
- Increasing Access to Finance
- Boosting SME Productivity
These have been adopted to ensure SME growth beyond the Existence, Survival, Success Disengagement, Success Growth, Take-off and Maturity attainment.
Over the years, AIL has developed and supported the growth of youth-led enterprises by providing initial starter pack, coaching and mentoring support services. AIL assisted in developing a business plan for Yedent Agro-Processing Company to access $1 million from GAIN/IYCN, to link the processing company to smallholder maize producers in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana and produce local infant nutrition products for the Ghanaian market. Additionally, it developed a business plan for BEEKAF Agro-Foods to secure $750,000 from Italy to process tomatoes in the Ashanti region. Additionally, AIL developed Business Plans and Financial Models that helped improve the financial performance of Salassi Ethnic Foods, Dansak Farms, Tekura Enterprises, Yenok Woods LimIted, and Legend Printing Press. These companies were assisted to access $250,000 each from the United States Federal Government for product improvements, production capacity improvement, marketing capability and financial sustainability. They were further provided with business development skills to increase profitability and market share.
AIL has developed business plans for over 5 export companies to access export finance credit and provided business development services to their clients to increase their export revenues by over 40%. It also supported in crafting USADF/INPRODEC Ghana Handicraft strategy; a value chain approach for investment into the handicraft industry in Ghana through linkages and investment opportunities from craftsman to the export market in the US and other markets in Europe. The consultancy also developed a Business Plan and Investment Proposal for Gold Coast Exotic Product Limited, a pineapple production and export company for strategic investment of $12 million.
AIL also consulted for the Ministry of Trade and Industry for the One District One Factory programme and Stimulus Package from February 2017 to February 2020. Our role included:
- Development of tools for assessment of companies to qualify for 1D1F status and incentives
- Development of systematic monitoring tools to assess progress of companies, documenting their needs and providing interventions
- Development of operational guidelines for evaluation and approval of 1D1F companies