The Ministry of Business Development has announced that it will in the next few months, release an amount of ten million Ghana cedis (GH¢10,000,000) to support young women entrepreneurs in the country.
The Minister of Business Development, Ibrahim Mohammed Awal who made this known at the Women Entrepreneurship Conference, expressed optimism that the money will help women entrepreneurs propel the growth of their businesses.
Mr. Awal also asked the women entrepreneurs to take advantage of business friendly policies initiated by the government so far to grow their businesses.
“We all know that women can perform better than men so what we have to do as individuals and collectively is to remove the obstacles that hinder women’s prosperity and that is why President Nana Akufo Addo wants to set things right for women,” he remarked.
“But we cannot do that if we do not support women in our society and that is why government is setting aside ten million Ghana cedis to support women entrepreneurs. In a couple of months, the money will be available for entrepreneurs.”
Mr Awal explained that the money will be available for women engaged in all categories of business.
“This money is for all categories of businesses, traders, ICT, Agro business, agriculture among others. So women, take advantage of the opportunities that the President is giving to you.”
The Second Lady, Samira Bawumia who was the Guest of Honor at the conference said she was confident that government’s free SHS policy will play a key role in helping future women entrepreneurs achieve greater heights.
“We know that education is essential to women’s economic empowerment and can reduce inter-generational poverty. Educated women tend to be more productive and contribute better to socio- economic, and political decision-making.”
“Unfortunately, there still is a gap to be filled with regards to girls being educated. Government’s Free SHS Policy will create the opportunity for more girls to have access to education and consequently improve their potential to earn more and increase the odds of entrepreneurial success”.
The Second Lady further commended the role of the business ministry in promoting women entrepreneurs.
“The Ministry of Business Development, set up by President Nana Akufo-Addo in 2017, was created to promote the private sector and prioritize the needs of existing businesses and help facilitate the creation of new ones. I am excited to hear about the GHS 10 million to be allocated to women entrepreneurs as we have been informed by the Hon. Minister here today”.
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