Development Bank Ghana (DBG) has launched an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered agricultural finance platform named Boa Mi. This new system aims to provide timely technical advice to farmers and support financial institutions in making better lending decisions. The initiative is a collaboration between DBG, Opportunity International (OI), and the Ghana Incentive-Based Risk-Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (GIRSAL).
The Boa Mi platform, an Akan expression meaning “help me,” is built directly into WhatsApp. It offers smallholder farmers and agricultural extension officers instant, evidence-based agronomic information. Crucially, it also provides loan officers and financial institutions with real-time intelligence on agricultural portfolios. This feature helps bridge the significant information gap that has historically made lending to the agricultural sector risky in Ghana.
Agriculture remains a cornerstone of Ghana’s economy, supporting the livelihoods of millions of people. However, access to quality, relevant, and context-specific technical information has been a major challenge for farmers. This lack of information often limits their ability to treat farming as a business, with many engaging in agriculture primarily for subsistence. The new platform seeks to address this by democratising access to agricultural knowledge, helping farmers improve productivity and remain competitive.
Professor Randolph Nsor-Ambala, the Chief Executive Officer of DBG, stated that the initiative aligns with the bank’s mandate to support agribusiness. He explained that DBG aims to transform agriculture into a more commercially viable venture. Professor Nsor-Ambala highlighted research showing that technical information access is a key hurdle for farmers. He added that the bank sought a low-cost, efficient, and reliable way to deliver this vital information.
Mr. Michael Mensah-Baah, DBG’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer for Investment, further explained the platform’s significance. He noted that for many smallholder farmers, the challenge is not a lack of willingness to farm but difficulty in obtaining the right information at the right time. Boa Mi responds to these challenges by making agricultural knowledge available through a familiar platform like WhatsApp. Users do not need to download a new application or learn new technology.
The platform is more than a conventional chatbot; its intelligence is specifically designed around Ghanaian agriculture. It offers commodity-specific and country-specific advice, supported by specialist agronomic knowledge. A rice farming pilot test generated over 8,500 advisory queries within three months, with user satisfaction exceeding 75 per cent. These queries represented farmers seeking practical solutions to protect crops, improve productivity, and safeguard investments.
Beyond supporting farmers, Boa Mi will provide financial institutions with additional information to improve agricultural credit decisions. It will also help identify potential challenges during the production cycle. Mr. Mensah-Baah described Boa Mi as a bridge between agricultural knowledge and agricultural finance. He believes it can significantly reduce the information gap and perceived risks associated with lending to farmers. The platform currently operates in English, with versions in Twi, Dagbani, Ewe, and Ga under development. It supports both text and voice interactions at no additional cost to users. This comprehensive approach aims to foster greater financial inclusion and resilience within Ghana’s vital agricultural sector.