Ghana improved by one place to the 26th position, out of 53 countries in Africa, in the 2023 World Bank Women, Business & Law Index.

The country however maintained its 7th position in West Africa, but better than Nigeria (66.3%).

Though the nation scored the same marks of 75% in 2021 and 2022, poor scores in Parenthood (20%) and Pay (50%) categories affected its quest to improve its rankings.

Quite a number of African countries improved their rankings.

Ghana scored full marks of 100% in Mobility, Workplace and Marriage.

Again, Ghana scored 75% in the Entrepreneurship and Pensions categories. The positions were however unchanged from the 2022’s rankings, meaning very little progress have been made in these categories.   

It however scored 80% in the Asset category.

Côte d'Ivoire and Gabon were jointly ranked 1st in Africa with a total score of 95%, overtaking Mauritius (89.9%) which placed 3rd.

South Africa placed 4th (88.1%), whilst Zimbabwe (86.9%) and Cape Verde (86.3%) placed 5^th and 6^th globally. 

The Women, Business and the Law 2023 is the ninth in a series of annual studies measuring the laws that affect women’s economic opportunity in 190 economies.

The project presents eight indicators structured around women’s interactions with the law as they progress through their lives and careers: Mobility, Workplace, Pay, Marriage, Parenthood, Entrepreneurship, Assets, and Pension.

Women, Business and the Law 2023 identifies barriers to women’s economic participation and encourages the reform of discriminatory laws. This year, the study also includes new research, a literature review, and analysis of 53 years of reforms for women’s rights.

The indicators build evidence of the critical relationship between legal gender equality and women’s employment and entrepreneurship.