Stakeholders, Government support to women SMEs critical to national dev’t 

By Francis Ntow

Accra, Aug 15, GNA – The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Smivic Communications Limited, Ms Victoria Akosua Amankwaa, has called for support for women Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs).  

That, she said was critical to the growth of businesses, especially women SMEs in the country’s quest to create more jobs and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  

Ms Amankwaa , therefore, called on all stakeholders, including the Government to place Ghanaian women at the centre of the country’s economic development agenda by creating the enabling environment to empower women entrepreneurs.  

She said this at the launch of the 2022 SHE Summit in Accra, which was aimed at promoting equality between women and men as a precondition for sustainable development.  

She said: “Women are the pivot for national development, therefore, we must all come together to ensure that the supporting atmosphere is there for them to fully utilise the opportunities in the business environment.”  

“Also, there should be access to investments, subsidies, and new income generating opportunities, particularly to women in rural areas who are disadvantaged due to a lack of property, access to agricultural land and advisory services, and quality education,” Ms Amankwaa said.  

The CEO noted that the SHE Power summit would offer a platform for participants to share best practices and success stories that showed how women set up and sustain their entrepreneurship ventures.  

She explained that the women empowerment initiative would identify creative and innovative young women with profitable business ideas through the “Women CEO Challenge,” and supported financially to build sustainable businesses.   

The three-month competition would see the business ideas of the young women entrepreneurs scrutinised, and the 20 finalists, supported to be financially independent to employ others.  

The summit was organised by Smivic Event Management under the auspices of Smivic Communications Limited.  

GNA