For many micro and small businesses, access to finance remains one of the biggest barriers to growth. Yet for financial institutions, successfully expanding lending to underserved entrepreneurs requires more than good intentions; it demands stronger systems, better risk management, and products designed around the realities of MSMEs.

Through the FIRST+II program, led by CapPlus in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, Atwima Kwanwoma Community Bank (AKCB) is expanding its capacity to better serve women, youth, and microbusinesses through innovative and inclusive financial approaches.

Enhancing the bank’s credit appraisal and risk assessment capabilities was a first step. Through intensive training, loan officers and management developed expertise in cash-flow-based lending methodologies, including more relevant ways to assess MSME borrowers and their ability to repay, given that MSMEs often lack traditional collateral. AKCB also adopted FIRST+II’s iCAM system, an automated credit appraisal tool that significantly reduces loan review turnaround times, standardizes credit decisions, and improves portfolio quality.

AKCB is also tailoring its services for women. After conducting a gender finance diagnostic to better understand the barriers women customers face, AKCB developed group lending products, improved incentives for susu sales executives to promote gender finance products, and established a gender governance committee to mainstream gender responsiveness across policies, products, and operations. The bank is also linking MSME customers to the FIRST+II partner, the African Management Institute, which delivers services to strengthen entrepreneurs’ business and financial management skills.

Most notably, AKCB launched Adwuma Nkosuo in October 2025, a new unsecured loan product that expands access to finance for previously excluded MSMEs lacking sufficient collateral.  In the first five months:

• Adwuma Nkosuo loans were disbursed to 547 unique MSMEs, 79% of which were women-led.
• GHS 9.12 million total value of loans as of March 31, 2026, of which GH¢6.85 million was disbursed to women-led businesses
• 116 loans totaling GHS 1.61 million were disbursed to youth-led businesses, of which 94 were women who received a total of GH¢1.25 million
• 18 accounts were opened for persons with disabilities, and a GHS 30,000 loan was disbursed to a client with a disability
• 50 MSME customers onboarded on the African Management Institute Business Development Services (BDS) platform

The bank’s transition toward unsecured, cashflow-based MSME lending demonstrates how institutional strengthening can sustainably accelerate access to finance for MSMEs owned by youth, women, men and people with disabilities. Through stronger systems, technology, customer-centered products, and well-trained staff, AKCB is expanding opportunities for underserved entrepreneurs while contributing to a more resilient and inclusive financial ecosystem.