The Vice President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to strengthening women’s economic empowerment through improved access to affordable financing, business development support and expanded market opportunities.
She said the establishment of the Women’s Development Bank was a major government intervention aimed at addressing the financial constraints facing women entrepreneurs and supporting the growth of women-owned businesses.
The Vice President made the remarks at the fifth Ghana Women Entrepreneurship Summit in Accra on Tuesday, where she highlighted the need to create an enabling environment for women to contribute more effectively to national economic development.
She also called for stronger linkages between agriculture and industry to enhance women’s participation in Ghana’s economic transformation.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang stressed the importance of combining access to finance with business development support, export training and market opportunities to enable women entrepreneurs to expand their operations and improve their competitiveness.
The Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, outlined government interventions to strengthen women-owned businesses and improve their access to domestic and international markets.
She said more than 1,300 entrepreneurs had received export training and promotional support through partnerships with Trademark Africa and other development partners.
Mrs Ofosu-Adjare said the Ministry was also implementing measures to improve access to finance, facilitate product certification, promote value addition and expand market access under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
She said the interventions were intended to enhance the competitiveness of women-owned businesses and enable them to take advantage of opportunities in the continental market.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Enterprises Agency, Ms Margaret Ansei, in her welcome address, called for stronger institutional support, affordable financing and improved market access to unlock the growth potential of women-led businesses. She drew attention to the financial pressures confronting women entrepreneurs, particularly the difficulty of securing adequate working capital to execute large orders and meet business obligations.
Ms Ansei observed that many women-owned businesses struggle to fulfil large contracts because buyers often operate on extended payment terms, while suppliers require immediate payment. This creates significant cash-flow constraints, limiting the capacity of businesses to expand production, fulfil orders and take advantage of emerging market opportunities.
She emphasised the need for financial institutions and business support organisations to develop more responsive financing solutions that reflect the operational realities of women-led enterprises. She also called for stronger institutional collaboration and market linkages to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of women-owned businesses.
The summit brought together government officials, development partners, financial institutions, industry leaders and women entrepreneurs to deliberate on strategies for strengthening women’s participation in entrepreneurship, trade, innovation and industrial development. The 5th Ghana Women Entrepreneurship Summit reaffirmed the importance of sustained collaboration among government, the private sector, financial institutions and development partners in addressing the structural barriers confronting women-owned businesses and creating an enabling environment for their growth.
Through its mandate to promote the development of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the Ghana Enterprises Agency remains committed to strengthening enterprise development, enhancing business competitiveness, promoting job creation and advancing inclusive economic growth. The Agency will continue to work with stakeholders to expand opportunities for women entrepreneurs, strengthen their business capacities and position them to contribute meaningfully to Ghana’s trade, innovation, industrialisation and economic transformation.
