The Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has told female business leaders that Ghana’s economic future depends on unlocking the full potential of women entrepreneurs and professionals across all sectors of the economy.

Delivering the keynote address at the 2026 Ghana Female CEOs Summit at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City on Thursday, May 7, the Minister described women as central to Ghana’s competitiveness and long-term economic resilience.

She said women had consistently proven their value in business despite structural challenges and unequal access to opportunities.

“I know what it costs. I know the discipline, the resilience, and the quiet determination it takes to lead while being watched differently, judged differently, and held to a different standard.”

Mrs Ofosu-Adjare said female CEOs had demonstrated exceptional leadership by building businesses and creating jobs despite difficult economic conditions.

“You have built businesses, created employment, navigated economic headwinds, and refused to be the footnotes in Ghana’s growth story,” she said.

According to the Minister, Ghana’s development agenda cannot succeed without the active economic inclusion of women, who constitute the majority of the country’s population.

“Women constitute approximately 51 percent of Ghana’s population. We are the majority and underutilised engine of national growth,” she stated.

She emphasised that women’s empowerment should be treated as an economic necessity rather than a symbolic gesture, citing statistics on women-owned enterprises and labour participation.

The Minister noted that women own 40 percent of businesses in Ghana and make up more than 70 percent of workers within the country’s food system.

Despite this, she said women still have limited access to financing and formal agribusiness assets.

She referenced estimates by the International Finance Corporation, which suggest that closing the gender financing gap for SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa could generate 42 billion dollars annually in economic value.

She also cited projections by the McKinsey Global Institute indicating that advancing women’s equality in Africa could add 316 billion dollars to the continent’s GDP.

“These are not soft statistics. They are economic imperatives,” she stressed.

Mrs Ofosu-Adjare used the occasion to highlight policy interventions introduced under the administration of President John Dramani Mahama to support women-led enterprises and economic participation.

She said the Ghana Women’s Development Bank, backed by an allocation of GH¢401 million in the 2026 national budget, would serve as a specialist institution focused on women entrepreneurs.

“The Women’s Development Bank will change that, providing low-interest credit, flexible collateral requirements, mentorship, and business development support tailored specifically to women and women-led enterprises,” she said.

The Minister added that the recently passed 24-Hour Economy Authority Act 2026 would create new opportunities for women operating in manufacturing, agro-processing, retail, and hospitality.

“For women entrepreneurs, this is transformational,” she said.

She explained that businesses operating under the 24-hour economy framework would benefit from tax incentives, reduced electricity costs, and financing support through EXIM Bank.

Mrs Ofosu-Adjare further highlighted the implementation of the Affirmative Action Law 2024, which mandates increased female representation in decision-making positions across both public and private institutions.

“This government actively launched and began implementing this Act in July 2025,” she said.

The Minister stressed that the African Continental Free Trade Area also presents major opportunities for women-led enterprises, particularly in sectors such as cassava processing, textiles, pharmaceuticals, and palm oil production.

She disclosed that the government’s export strategy seeks to increase Ghana’s non-traditional export earnings from 3.5 billion dollars to at least 10 billion dollars by 2030.

Within the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, she said several programmes are being rolled out to support women-led businesses, including export readiness initiatives, mentorship schemes, and gender-responsive trade facilitation systems.

The Ministry is also introducing industrial park incentives for women-owned manufacturing and agro-processing businesses.

“At the next three zones enclave, women entrepreneurs will have a rebate on the land available,” she announced.

Calling for stronger collaboration between government, businesses, and development partners, the Minister said women entrepreneurs should be viewed as strategic partners in national development.

“We see you. We are building for you. And we expect you to grow beyond what any of us can currently imagine,” she said.

She concluded by quoting President Mahama’s philosophy on women’s empowerment.

“When women succeed, families thrive, and nations prosper,” she said.