GBS Microloan & Savings
Through a revolving loan plan, the GBS MLS program currently serves 140 individuals in sixteen groups of smallholders, subsistence farmers, and petty traders in eight towns across the Volta Region. Most of these group members are women farmers and traders. Where women cannot rely on access to the traditional loan and savings programs offered by financial institutions, GBS MLS makes it possible for the people in our groups to purchase agricultural inputs and trade goods on credit and repay their loans upon harvest or sale.
Membership in a GBS microloan and savings (MLS) group offers immediate cash loans with which farmers can acquire agricultural inputs, and petty traders can expand their businesses. The NGO raises the funds to provide each group with a revolving savings and loan account. MLS members pull from their account and repay loans annually, with a group-determined interest rate of 10%, which is much lower than other microfinance programs that can soar above 100% (World Economic Forum, 2024).
Another difference between GBS and other programs is that the interest, as well as the loan capital, remains with the group instead of the international financial program profiting from the group. In addition to the economic benefits of a GBS MLS, there are social benefits.
Group organization starts with a group of approximately 10 people, typically 8 women and 2 men, agreeing to work together in a common economic and social enterprise. The groups meet regularly where they offer each other support, collaborate on community projects, hone their leadership skills, and build their social capital. These efforts ripple out to benefit their families and their communities.
According to self-reports, MLS members assert that their participation has allowed them to:
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expand their land under cultivation,
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develop allied businesses such as livestock raising and petty trading activities,
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support their children’s and grandchildren’s education,
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purchase health insurance,
and generally, to improve their living conditions.
As of 2025, the groups’ value is US $227,739 (GHS 12:USD1). On their part, the MLS farmers and petty traders have developed their own susu and other forms of savings and lending within their groups. Moreover, MLS members have provided community beautification, donated food to underfunded school feeding programs, and provided leadership in community events.
Since 2021, GBS has organized and funded four new groups (2 groups in Wegbe-Kpalime, 1 in Hodzo-Achianse, and 1 in Ho-Zongo).
Examples of GBS Small Business Interventions
