What we do
The Foundation provides assistance to entrepreneurs and their businesses in a way that many entrepreneurs find convenient and most enabling. We not only provide capital, but facilities, support, information and expertise as well.
SME Relief Foundation works via strategic, complimentary, capacity-building programs in order to achieve its objective of supporting SME entrepreneurs.
The Foundation assists SME entrepreneurs by adopting a think tank approach and looking for synergies between the ideas, products and technologies being developed in order to grow their business ideas and enterprises faster.
This approach fosters the growth of these new ideas and subsequently, the business and allows for SME entrepreneurs to emerge in greater numbers and with far greater skill.
SME Relief Foundation believes that all the entrepreneur needs to succeed is the right information, funding, facility or expertise at the right time and we are here to facilitate that process.
Financing
Micro credit - SME Relief Foundation extends these very small loans to the unemployed, to poor entrepreneurs and to others living in poverty who are probably not considered bankable.
These would-be entrepreneurs lack the necessary collateral, steady employment and a verifiable credit history and therefore cannot meet even the most minimal qualifications to gain access to traditional credit.
These are the loans that change lives; enabling people buy such things as sewing machines, milking cows, brooding hens, head pan or a bunch of plantain for sale and thereby enter the economy in the productive sense.
As a guiding principle, all loans are required to be repaid to instill a sense of responsibility and accountability in the entrepreneur.
Equity financing - With strong emphasis on 'for a limited period of time', we make loans available to usually medium-sized business owners in exchange for equity in their business for a limited period of time.
Business owners of this type usually have long-term goals, do not meet bank requirements for loans and like to retain control of their businesses so do not resort to venture capital funds.
What we do here is offer them the loan on request in exchange for equity in their company. They are not given a fixed period to repay the loan, however they must pay profits to sustain the program until they are able to repay the loan. After the loan is repaid, the equity stake of SME Relief Foundation is returned to the business owner.
As a guiding principle, SME Relief Foundation does not set up businesses and does not hold equity permanently in businesses.
This initiative is now affectionately referred to as FALPO Equity Financing.
SME Relief Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Ghana whose founding is based on the realization that SME entrepreneurship is vital to creating jobs and enhancing the quality of life of all people.
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