Ticano Group this week launched a financial inclusion scheme dubbed ‘Disability Financing Support Programme’.
Under the programme, all local suppliers living with disability will automatically qualify for reduced borrowing interest rates for their purchase order finance needs. They will also be eligible for logistics support, both locally and internationally.
The company have also introduced a Ticano Healthcare Finance initiative aimed at offering discount to medical suppliers, with rates as low as 6.5 percent for long term contracts.
Established in 2015, Ticano Group is a supply chain financing company with the main objective of assisting Small Medium Enterprises (SMES) in delivering on their mandate on time.
With three offices around the country, the organisation is able to finance small businesses which supply councils, parastatals, big corporates, central government, specialising in food, medical, oil and gas supplies.
Speaking at a media briefing on Tuesday, the Group’s Executive Director, Opelo Motswagae explained that while the programmes form part of Ticano’s responsibility to give back to the community, the main aim is to cushion costs for the disabled and healthcare industries.
“When someone is disabled and has a disability card they can come to us and we will be able to discount the rates for them to give them special borrowing rates and logistics. The reason we are discounting the rates is that we know that disabled people always need support so we need to reduce or cushion their costs,” he said, adding they have already managed to finance disabled people from Letlhakeng.
For the Healthcare Finance programme, Motswagae noted the aim is not only to assist SMEs but also for the ordinary Motswana to benefit.
“We understand that medical suppliers are bought as far as India and China and it takes a long time so we are able to facilitate speedy deliveries by making sure we pay the suppliers, logistics on time and to reduces the rates as well.
“We are focused and want Batswana to grow. We want to see that P10 billion allocated to Health Ministry in the hands of Batswana because normally, locals end up fronting because they don’t have access to finance and end up selling the orders to other people who will be able to finance them. If they have financial support they will be able to do that,” declared Motswagae.
