Government has renewed its pledge to address financial and market access barriers facing women entrepreneurs, with the Vice President identifying the proposed Women’s Development Bank as a key intervention.
Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang said the initiative would improve access to affordable financing for women seeking to establish and expand businesses.
She was speaking at the 5th Ghana Women Entrepreneurship Summit in Accra on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.
The Vice President called for greater investment in women’s economic participation through business development support, export training and access to wider markets.
She also urged stronger linkages between agriculture and industry, arguing that closer integration of the two sectors would create opportunities for women to contribute to Ghana’s economic transformation.
Trade Minister Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare used the summit to outline programmes being implemented by her ministry to strengthen women-owned enterprises.
She disclosed that more than 1,300 entrepreneurs had benefited from export training and promotional assistance delivered in partnership with TradeMark Africa and other development partners.
Other interventions, she said, include efforts to improve access to finance, support product certification, encourage value addition and facilitate access to markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
The minister said these measures were aimed at helping women-owned businesses improve their capacity to compete in both local and international markets.
The summit also marked the launch of the Youth Enterprise Launchpad, adding a youth enterprise development component to the event.
The government’s commitments formed part of discussions on addressing the barriers limiting women’s participation and growth in entrepreneurship.
