Women entrepreneurs eye scale-up, as Women in Business Dialogue opens in Kumasi

Women entrepreneurs and young agripreneurs are set to take centre-stage today, as the 2026 Women in Business Dialogue Series opens with a sharp focus on transforming informal and smallholder activities into structured, scalable enterprises.

Held under the theme ‘From Market-to-Market Leader: Empowering Women SMEs and Young Women in Agribusiness for Sustainable Growth’, the forum positions women – particularly market traders, smallholder farmers, agro-processors and artisans – as critical drivers of the country’s agrifood economy while confronting the persistent barriers that keep many locked in survival-level operations.

Organised by Business and Financial Times (B&FT), the dialogue comes at a time when policymakers increasingly recognise the role of women-led micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in strengthening food security, creating jobs and driving inclusive growth – yet gaps in financing, formalisation and market access continue to constrain expansion.

The event will convene entrepreneurs, government officials, development partners and financial institutions to explore practical pathways for growth, with sessions expected to focus on access to credit, bookkeeping and pricing strategies, value addition, digital commerce and cooperative business models.

A key emphasis will be on transitioning women-led businesses from fragmented, informal structures into competitive enterprises capable of attracting investment and integrating into formal value chains.

“For many women, especially young agripreneurs, the challenge is not just starting a business but scaling it sustainably,” Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of B&FT Dr. Godwin Aquaye said ahead of the event.

“This dialogue is about equipping them with the tools and networks needed to move beyond subsistence and into profitability.”

Despite their dominant presence in local markets and food production, women entrepreneurs in the country often face structural disadvantages including limited collateral for loans, weak access to extension services and underrepresentation in formal supply chains.

Young women in agriculture are particularly affected, with many operating on the sector’s margins, reliant on small plots and informal processing methods that limit productivity and income potential.

The dialogue aims to address these constraints by promoting financial inclusion, encouraging adoption of digital tools and advocating for business formalisation, seen as critical steps in unlocking access to credit and larger markets.

Stakeholders are also expected to highlight the role of aggregation and cooperative models in improving bargaining power, reducing costs and enabling small-scale producers to meet the volume and quality requirements of larger buyers.

Climate resilience will feature prominently in discussions, with participants examining how climate-smart agricultural practices can help women-led enterprises adapt to changing weather patterns while maintaining productivity.

It is recognised that supporting women to scale agribusinesses could yield significant macroeconomic benefits, given the sector’s linkages to manufacturing, trade and rural livelihoods.

The dialogue will highlight a need to make the business environment more responsive to needs of women and youth, including reforms to improve access to finance, streamline registration processes and expand targetted support programmes.

The platform created by this dialogue between entrepreneurs and decision-makers is hoped to catalyse partnerships that will outlast the event, enabling participants to implement practical solutions within their businesses.

Ultimately, the initiative seeks to reposition women as not merely  participants in local markets, but leaders of competitive enterprises capable of driving the country’s broader economic transformation.

There will be various presentations and plenary sessions featuring selected seasoned women industry professionals and organisations, including the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and financial institutions among others.

The event will unite market women and petty-traders from the informal sector, as well as women-led small- and medium-sized enterprises, women farmers, agro-processors and produce traders.

It will also include young women agripreneurs and startups in the agriculture sector, hairdressers, seamstresses, food vendors, shop owners, women managers and executives, among others.

Post Views: 1