By Sandra Agyeiwaa OTOO
Eunice Agbenyadzi, Head of Programmes at Star Ghana Foundation, has underscored the need for stronger stakeholder collaboration to promote women’s enterprises in Ghana.
She made the call at a roundtable dialogue organised by Star Ghana Foundation in partnership with the Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT) and the Centre for Gender Studies and Advocacy (CEGENSA) at the University of Ghana.
The event, held under the theme “Women’s Enterprise in Ghana: Strengthening the Ecosystem for Growth,” examined barriers facing women entrepreneurs, including limited access to finance, land, skills and markets.
Ms. Agbenyadzi said coordinated efforts among policymakers, financial institutions, academia and trade actors are essential to building an enabling environment for women-led businesses.
She noted that a systems approach—encompassing policy, financing, market access, and infrastructure such as transport and communication—is required to drive sustainable growth.
Citing data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), the Overseas Development Institute and the International Trade Centre, she said women account for about 42 percent of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in Ghana, highlighting their significant contribution to the economy.
Despite this, she pointed out that women-owned businesses face persistent challenges, particularly in accessing finance due to collateral requirements, expanding into new markets and securing land for productive use.
She added that limited business skills also constrain growth.
She stressed the importance of targeted financial interventions, including the proposed Women’s Development Bank, describing it as a potential game-changer in improving access to credit if fully implemented and appropriately structured to meet women’s needs.
The dialogue also highlighted the plight of rural women entrepreneurs, especially farmers and small-scale producers, who continue to face difficulties in accessing land, credit and markets.
In a keynote address, Professor Akosua Darkwah, Professor of Sociology at the University of Ghana and convenor of NETRIGHT, called for a mindset shift among entrepreneurs to support business expansion. She noted that failure to meet demand often reflects inadequate planning for growth.
Prof. Darkwah further noted the need to strengthen both domestic and international market access, urging Ghanaians to patronise locally made products while advocating improved payment systems and transport logistics to facilitate exports.
She also highlighted the role of the state and families in fostering a supportive ecosystem, particularly through the redistribution of unpaid care work to enable women to devote more time to their businesses.
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