Minister for Business Development, Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, says Ghanaian women entrepreneurs have what it takes to excel in what they do if the requisite resources are put at their disposal.

According to the minister, Ghanaian women are by their nature industrious, trustworthy and results-oriented, “but less than 47 percent of them have access to formal financial services and so need to be supported to expand their businesses, employ more people and create wealth”.

Dr Awal made the remarks after he led a health walk last Saturday as part of events marking the Global Entrepreneurship month in Ghana. The celebration in Ghana has been focused on women entrepreneurs, on the theme, ‘Financial Inclusion for Women Entrepreneurship’.

The Ministry last Thursday collaborated with the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Protection and held a capacity-building seminar for some 120 young business women in Accra in a project that will see the trainees supported financially by government to scale up their businesses.

The health walk, which took participants through some principal streets of Accra, was to draw national attention to the fact that when given the same opportunities available to men, women can also do good business, expand, employ people and create wealth.

The focus on women entrepreneurs, Dr Awal explained is borne out of a charge from President Nana Akufo-Addo (a gender advocate) to build a financially inclusive Ghanaian society.

“We at the Ministry for Business Development have been tasked by the President to take measures that will ensure that women have access to finance and business advisory services so they can successfully run their businesses,” Dr Awal stated.

Some of the placards wielded by the women read ‘Stop the discrimination Now’, ‘Support Ghanaian women Entrepreneurs’, ‘Let’s bridge the financial gap between our male and female Entrepreneurs’, and ‘Boosting Ghanaian businesses - the role of Women Entrepreneurs’.

500 physically challenged women in business to be supported

Dr Awal announced that his ministry was spearheading a special support initiative for some 500 physically challenged women entrepreneurs in the country to help them grow their enterprises and help meet government’s financial inclusion agenda.

The Ministry for Business Development is thus set to soon organise a fund-raising event to pool some GH¢2million to support women in business who have one disability or another.

“When you look around the country you see a lot of physically-challenged women; either they are blind, crippled or some form of disability or deformity so we think that we should support such people to help achieve the President’s agenda of improving lives and incomes,” Dr Awal explained at the end of the health walk.

The women, the minister added, will receive support, in the form of business advisory services, training and bank loans.