Section of the market women at the Summit. Insert: Mrs. Yankey-Ayeh
A TOTAL of 400 market women across the country have been engaged in financial literacy training aimed at retooling them with the necessary skills to foster resilience, empowerment, and sustainable growth.
The financial literacy training took place at the 2024 edition of the Ghana Women Entrepreneurship Summit (GWES), dubbed, “Market Queens Summit Edition”, under the theme “Building Market Women for Prosperity.”
Addressing the market queens, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, said the agency was established to support business development, and part of that involves examining the entire value chain, especially access to markets for those in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors.
“We convened around 400 market women from various regions, to engage in meaningful conversations about how we can better support them. Our aim is not only to build their businesses but also to address the challenges they face,” she said.
Mrs. Yankey-Ayeh said the summit will explore strategies for enhancing their operations and creating more opportunities in the market through programmes like financial literacy.
She said, “one of our key focuses is upgrading some of these businesses while emphasising the government’s commitment to supporting market women.”
Mrs. Yankey-Ayeh also acknowledged the challenges market women face, such as limited access to finance, inadequate market infrastructure, childcare issues, and a desire among many to upgrade their skills.
She assured participants that the summit would address these concerns while providing an opportunity for networking and knowledge-sharing.
The Ghana Women Entrepreneurship Summit was established years ago to tackle the unique challenges women face in business.
Through initiatives like GWES, the Ghana Enterprises Agency continues to champion the cause of female entrepreneurs, empowering them to thrive in their ventures and contribute significantly to national development.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke