• • 4.2.2 the GIPC Act are complied with; The country’s immigration laws are properly enforced; and Non-Ghanaian traders meet their tax obligations to the State Immigration Laws The Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) continued to enforce immigration laws relating to entry, residence, employment and exit of foreign nationals. The number of foreigners arrested in the country without resident or work permits increased from 132 in 2010 to 153 in 2011, indicating a 16 percent increase. 4.2.3 Credit to businesses The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) Business Barometer for the last quarter of 2011 reported that access and cost of credit remain the most important constraints to medium, small and micro enterprises development. As part of efforts to ease the constraint on SMEs the Micro Finance and Small Loans Centre increased the volume of credit extended to SMEs (Table 4.2) Table 4.2: MASLOC loan disbursement and recovery for period 2010 - 2011 Loans extended Amount recovered Total number of beneficiaries Number of female beneficiaries Number of male beneficiaries 2010 Target Achievement 3,314,250.00 4,030,190.00 1,508,250.00 1,438,403.74 6,628 8,096 2011 Target Achievement 47,000,000.00 18,325,915.00 12,754,314.00 10,421,409.02 71,310 36,334 5,300 7,628 57,048 32,835 1,328 468 14,262 3,499 Source: MASLOC, 2012 Ecobank opens China Desk The Eobank Group and the Bank of China have jointly opened the first China Desk at Ecobank Ghana to provide banking services to Chinese companies doing business in Ghana and also to Ghanaians who want to do business in China. Sixth Annual APRM Progress Report: January – December 2011 67

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