Dutch firm De Lage Landen International B.V., which specialises in global leasing and consumer finance solutions, has commenced operations in Ghana.

The firm’s core business includes the leasing of anything from trailers to medical equipment.

Officials say that Ghana is a major step in establishing the firm within the Africa market, as the country offered a window of opportunities to other African nations. The entrance is being achieved partly through a partnership with Ghanaian company Rainbow Transport International Limited, which will give De Lage a particularly big influence in the automobile industry. The company already has 23 truck trailers either for sale or lease. Leasing is a particularly viable option for small or new business without the capital to purchase equipment.

De Lage International Remarketing Manager Carl Van Zelden said that Ghana would be the start of a large Africa push for the firm, and that the partnership with Rainbow Transport was worthwhile in terms of satisfying the local market.

“We have a very broad portfolio of equipment from dental, agriculture, construction and office equipment for lease,” he said.

Gerard Duijfes, the Netherland Ambassador to Ghana, launched the company and said that starting business operations in Ghana would give De Lage a bridge into the rest of the African continent.  He did, however, also note that bureaucracy had the potential to stand in the way of new businesses in Ghana, though the partnership with Rainbow Transport should go some way to alleviating this problem.

The company confirmed that all tractor trailers were extensively checked before being sent to Ghana. Rainbow Transport’s Executive Director Nico Van Dolf said that leasing would be an especially attractive prospect for small businesses lacking the financial strength to purchase equipment.