In an effort to ramp up free enterprise among women, the Ghana Women Entrepreneurship Summit (GWES 2018) launched Monday in Accra with a pledge from President Akufo-Addo to support key female stakeholders in the business sector.
“I have five beautiful daughters. And every day they are reminded that there can be nothing more important than to live up to their expectations,” he said at the event where he served as its keynote speaker. “I want to ensure that the government we intend to build is one where they will thrive and prosper.”
Akufo-Addo continued that the micro-finance and small loans sector has been ordered to disburse 50 percent of its funds to women engaged in small-scale farming and businesses. Ghana is currently working with local businesses to ensure that 70 percent of all government-funded contracts and projects are granted to local contractors, he said.
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“With Ghana’s farming population consisting more of women than men, it is certain that more and more women will be involved in the program,” Akufo-Addo said.
The two-day summit scheduled until June 5, will address the financial empowerment among women entrepreneurs and will assess their current progression in the global sphere.
“This exciting initiative will create a unique platform for women entrepreneurs that are game-makers and innovators to engage in powerful and thought-provoking conversations, focused on the challenges women face while doing business in Ghana,” said Kosi Yankey to the Ghana News Agency. Yankey currently serves as an executive director for the National Board for Small Scale Industries, which organized the event.
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Anchoring on the summit’s theme, “Ghanaian Women Entrepreneurs: From Voices to Action,” the conference will also foster networking opportunities and provide a platform for women-led businesses and their owners to discuss commerce in a male-dominated industry.
“We have to empower women to take action in the entrepreneurial space to push national development,” said Yankey.
