Advans Ghana Savings and Loans has officially launched the Restart Loan, a dedicated credit facility for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) recovering from floods, fires, and other climate-related disruptions, formalising a product the institution had previously piloted following the Kantamanto Market fire in January 2025.
The launch was held in Accra on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, and brings together a package of flexible loan durations, discounted interest rates, customised repayment terms, and an existing credit risk insurance scheme that settles outstanding loan balances for clients whose businesses are destroyed by qualifying events.
Eligible clients can access the facility through their relationship officers immediately after a climate event, with loan amounts and terms determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the scale of losses and the borrower’s repayment capacity. No standard loan amount has been announced, as the product is designed to match individual recovery needs.
Speaking at the launch, Advans Ghana Chief Executive Officer Guillaume Valence said the product grew from years of direct observation of how sudden disasters affect the lender’s client base. “The Restart Loan came from experience. We have seen clients face shocks such as fires, including incidents in major markets, as well as floods and extreme heat. These events can completely disrupt businesses, and we realized the need to go beyond traditional lending to help clients recover quickly,” he said.
Chief Business Development Officer Seth Micah Nunoo said the informal economy, which makes up a substantial share of Ghana’s overall economic activity, is particularly exposed to the financial consequences of climate events. He noted that the institution has been investing in client education on flood mitigation and climate risk awareness as part of a broader strategy that now includes the Restart Loan as its recovery component.
Advans Ghana serves more than 140,000 clients through 21 branches across nine regions and is licensed by the Bank of Ghana (BoG). The institution is a subsidiary of the Advans Group, headquartered in Paris, which operates across six African countries. Ghana has recorded more than 27 major flood events over the past three decades, with an estimated seven in ten Ghanaians lacking access to any form of insurance.
