Ghana EXIM Bank chief pitches partnership with Latenu FM to boost La traders' access to export knowledge

The Chief Executive Officer of Ghana EXIM Bank, Sylvester Adinam Mensah, has proposed a strategic partnership with Latenu FM, a community radio station in La, to bridge the information gap facing local entrepreneurs in the Ga language area. Speaking at the station's 10th anniversary celebration on Saturday, Mensah outlined how radio broadcasting could become a crucial channel for disseminating business and export information to traders who may lack formal access to financial institutions.

The initiative reflects a growing recognition that language barriers and limited outreach often prevent small and medium-sized enterprises in local communities from accessing critical business support services. By leveraging Latenu FM's established presence and cultural credibility in La, the EXIM Bank chief suggested, institutions could make financing and trade knowledge more accessible to entrepreneurs operating primarily within their local markets.

The proposal in detail

Mensah called on Latenu FM to use its platform strategically to celebrate local entrepreneurs, explain the financing opportunities available through institutions like Ghana EXIM Bank, and inspire younger listeners to pursue business creation rather than only seeking formal employment. "Use your platform to celebrate local entrepreneurs, to explain opportunities of financing and trade, and to inspire young people to create, not only to seek jobs," he said during the anniversary event.

The EXIM Bank boss, who previously served as Member of Parliament for La Dadekotopon, expressed willingness to explore concrete collaboration models between the station and financial institutions. He pledged: "I extend an open hand. Let us find ways for [the station] and institutions like EXIM to bring information about business growth and export opportunities to our people in our own language."

Mensah also acknowledged Latenu FM's decade-long commitment to broadcasting in Ga, noting that community radio stations provide local businesses with direct access to customers in their native language—a competitive advantage often overlooked by traders focused solely on reaching English-speaking markets or urban centres.

Why it matters for Ghana

This proposal touches on a fundamental challenge in Ghana's economic development: the digital and information divide between urban financial hubs and local communities. Whilst major cities have established banking branches, financial literacy programmes, and export information centres, traders in outlying areas like La often rely on word-of-mouth, limited networking, and informal credit sources.

Ghana EXIM Bank's mandate is to support exporters and facilitate trade financing, yet many eligible businesses never learn of these services because information is delivered in English through formal channels. Community radio offers a scalable solution: it reaches people in their homes, in their language, and at minimal cost. For traders seeking to export agricultural products, textiles, handicrafts, or services, such information could unlock significant growth.

Mensah's suggestion also aligns with broader national priorities around entrepreneurship, job creation, and inclusive economic growth. By encouraging business creation over job-seeking alone, the initiative recognises that Ghana's future prosperity depends partly on nurturing a culture of local enterprise and self-reliance.

The CEO further suggested that the model should not be confined to Ga but extended to other Ghanaian languages—Twi, Hausa, Ewe, and others—to reach traders across diverse regions and ensure that language does not become a barrier to accessing state and private sector business support.

Next steps and broader implications

For Latenu FM, the proposal represents an opportunity to deepen its community impact beyond entertainment and news. Content partnerships with financial institutions could enhance the station's credibility and attract sponsors interested in supporting entrepreneurship. For traders listening in La and beyond, regular programming on export procedures, tariffs, financing options, and market opportunities could translate directly into improved business outcomes.

The partnership model outlined by Mensah could also serve as a template for other institutions—the central bank, trade ministries, tax authorities—to reach informal and small-scale traders more effectively. If implemented thoughtfully, it exemplifies how traditional media and public institutions can collaborate to democratise access to economic information in Ghana.