By Stanley Senya, GNA
Accra, Nov. 05, GNA- Development Bank Ghana (DBG) and the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) have launched Ghana’s first Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises index known as the MSMEs Development Index (DBG-GSS MDex).
The launch follows a Memorandum of Understanding signed by DBG and the Ghana Statistical Service in Accra.
The initiative, designed to track business performance and guide policy and financing decisions, was launched in October 2026 by Professor Eric Osei-Assibey, DBG Chief Economist on behalf of Prof. Randolph Nsor-Ambala, CEO of the Bank, alongside Alhaji Omar Seidu, the Deputy Government Statistician
A statement issued in Accra said more than 100 enumerators have been trained to conduct a nationwide survey of over 5,000 businesses across all 16 regions between October and November 2026.
It said the training prepared enumerators to administer the DBG-GSS MDex survey instruments in accordance with internationally recognized statistical standards and quality assurance protocols.
The statement said drawing enumerators from every part of the country means interviews would be conducted by field staff who are familiar with the local context and languages of the businesses they visit.
It said Ghana had approximately 1.9 million business establishments, nearly 90 per cent of which employ fewer than five people, according to the GSS’s 2024 Integrated Business Establishment Survey.
It said despite their significant contribution to employment and economic activity, the country has lacked a recurring composite measure of MSME performance.
The statement said the DBG-GSS MDex would address this gap by assessing businesses across eight dimensions: profitability, productivity and growth; business environment; innovation and digitisation; resilience and financial access; sustainability and green transition; inclusive and social impact; governance and formalisation; and productive capacity and resources.
It said combining business-owner surveys with objective indicators, the index would provide insights into MSME performance, financing needs, operational constraints and growth potential while tracking changes over time.
The DBG-GSS MDex will provide reliable, recurring data across all 16 regions and key sectors to guide policymaking, improve MSME financing decisions, identify growth opportunities and constraints, and track changes in productivity, competitiveness, innovation, job creation and sustainability.
It said it would also help assess the impact of policies and business support programmes, strengthening resource allocation and supporting sustainable MSME growth.
The statement said under the partnership, DBG would provide strategic leadership, funding and stakeholder coordination, while GSS will oversee survey design, data collection, analysis and reporting in line with national and international statistical standards.
Prof. Osei-Assibey said “Development finance is most effective when it is guided by credible evidence. The DBG-GSS MDex is not only a research product; it is a national public good.”
He said it would help Ghana understand which MSMEs were growing, where productivity is improving, what constraints are holding firms back, and how financing and policy interventions can be better targeted.
He said through this partnership, DBG was investing in the knowledge infrastructure required to de-risk the MSME sector, strengthen our Participating Financial Institutions’ (PFIs) market intelligence and catalyse more funding to the enterprises that power Ghana’s economy.
He said as DBG marks its fifth anniversary, the index represented a further step in its mandate to expand access to long-term financing for productive businesses.
” By combining development finance with reliable data, the initiative aims to improve financing decisions and strengthen Ghana’s MSME ecosystem,” he added.
Alhaji Omar Seidu emphasised the importance of reliable and timely data in supporting business growth and economic development.
“When data accurately reflects the realities of businesses, it becomes a powerful tool for transformation. The DBG MSME Performance Index Survey is an investment in evidence, and evidence is essential for expanding access to finance, improving business performance, and accelerating Ghana’s economic progress,” he added.
The inaugural DBG-GSS MDex report is expected by the end of January 2027. DBG and GSS intend to update the index annually to support policymaking, financing decisions and targeted business development interventions.
GNA
Edited by Linda Asante Agyei