Africa’s leading public relations, research and rankings firm, Avance Media Africa, has announced the 2026 Top 100 Ghana’s Women Board Directors list, the second edition of the ranking following its inaugural release in 2023.
The ranking recognises 100 distinguished women serving on the boards of Ghana’s leading public and private institutions, celebrating their contributions as Board Chairs, Independent Non-Executive Directors, Non-Executive Directors, Executive Directors, and Board Directors.
According to Avance Media, the selection process considered a comprehensive range of criteria, including experience, education, board tenure, industry expertise, leadership capabilities, notable impact, and public presence.
The 2026 research examined 100 leading public and private institutions across ten sectors of Ghana’s economy, providing one of Ghana’s most extensive datasets on female representation in corporate governance.
Across these organisations, 895 board seats were identified, of which 232 (25.9%) are held by women, a decline from the 28% recorded in 2023.
However, the number of women serving as Board Chairs among the ranked organisations has doubled, from 10 in 2023 to 19 in 2026, while the number of organisations achieving gender parity (50% women’s representation) has grown from 2 to 9.
Among the organisations demonstrating strong female representation on their boards are the Ghana Stock Exchange, Absa Bank Ghana, Old Mutual Ghana, Media General, Access Bank Ghana, First National Bank Ghana, Prudential Life Insurance Ghana, MTN Ghana and the Energy Commission, all of which recorded some of the highest levels of female board representation in this year’s assessment.
Other organisations that also recorded significant improvements in female representation since 2023 are FirstBank Ghana, OmniBSIC Bank Ghana, Ecobank Ghana, Bank of Ghana, Electricity Company of Ghana, Zenith Bank Ghana, and Old Mutual Ghana.
Of the 100 women recognised in 2026, 71 are new entrants to the ranking, while 29 return from the 2023 edition, reflecting both the pipeline of emerging female leadership and continuity among established directors.
In announcing the ranking, Prince Akpah, Founder and Managing Director of Avance Media Africa, remarked, “The Top 100 Ghana’s Women Board Directors recognises women whose leadership continues to strengthen governance across Ghana’s public and private sectors. Beyond celebrating individual achievement, the ranking also highlights the growing impact women are making in shaping strategic decisions, promoting accountability and driving sustainable organisational success.
We hope these remarkable leaders will inspire more women to pursue leadership roles while encouraging institutions to continue building more inclusive and diverse boardrooms.”
As part of this year’s initiative, Avance Media Africa will also release the first edition of the Women in Ghana’s Boardrooms Report 2026, a comprehensive research publication analysing female representation, board diversity, sector performance and corporate governance trends across Ghana’s leading institutions.
The report provides deeper insights into the progress, opportunities and challenges shaping women’s leadership in Ghanaian boardrooms.