By Jibril Abdul Mumuni
Accra, March 11, GNA– Dr. Emelia Assiakwa, First Vice-President of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI), has urged the government to provide targeted support for women-owned agro-processing businesses to thrive under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The First Vice-President emphasised the critical role of women in driving economic growth and the need to address the challenges they face, particularly in accessing funding and markets.
Dr. Assiakwa made these remarks at the GNCCI International Women’s Day Celebration, held in collaboration with the GIZ Trade Hub, which aimed to explore funding opportunities for women entrepreneurs.
The Women’s Day event brought together financial institutions and women entrepreneurs to facilitate networking and access to funding.
The GNCCI Vice-President highlighted the importance of adding value to raw materials and establishing business hubs for processing, which would create employment opportunities, especially for young people.
“If we are able to work on agribusiness, that is the value chain, if we are able to cap this value chain and then improve it, then you can be sure that we’ll be able to employ a lot of people,” he said.
She said one of the key challenges identified was the difficulty in accessing funding, with high interest rates and stringent collateral requirements hindering the growth of women-owned businesses.
The GNCCI welcomed the government’s plan to establish a women’s bank and urged the implementation of policies that would address these issues.
“We believe that with that bank instituted, we’re going to be better. And we believe that they are also going to care for this collateral thing. And they’re going to look at the corporate bits that were individuals or groups guarantee for each other,” she added.
Miss Sophia Kamarudeen, Component Lead – Ghana, Programme Support to the AfCFTA, said her organisation was actively working to improve access to finance for women entrepreneurs in Ghana, particularly within the agribusiness sector.
She noted that with a strong regional presence, including a significant programme in Wa, GIZ supports agricultural enterprises through initiatives focused on digitalisation, private sector partnerships, and microfinance.
Miss Kamarudeen said such initiatives aimed to bridge the financial gap for women in agribusiness, fostering growth and economic empowerment across various sectors and company sizes.
GNA