Greater representation of women in boardrooms and business leadership is essential to building stronger and more inclusive economies, according to Amma Gyampo, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Venture Capital and Private Equity Association.

Speaking to Joy Business on the sidelines of the International Women’s Day Luncheon and Executive Roundtable organised by CCI France Ghana and the Embassy of France in Ghana, Gyampo stressed that women’s participation in leadership and decision making is critical to sustainable private sector growth.

“Representation on boards and in business leadership drives growth and development,” she said. “Women form half of our population, so we need them represented at key decision making points in society, in the business environment and in boardrooms. Many women already make decisions at home, particularly in terms of consumer spending, so it is equally important that more women are making decisions at the corporate level.”

She explained that stronger female representation in leadership would help ensure that economic development reflects the needs and realities of society as a whole.

“We need more women making decisions to enable the private sector to develop in an inclusive way,” Gyampo noted. “We cannot really achieve that without women making decisions at the board level, at the community level, at the social level and at the financial level. All of these elements are important for women to have leadership opportunities.”

Gyampo also highlighted the importance of preparing future leaders and strengthening the leadership pipeline across sectors.

“The discussion was really about how we manage stakeholders, how we train ourselves and support the next generation of leaders, and how we ensure that people have a clear understanding of the skills they need to lead,” she said.

According to her, participants at the roundtable shared a common view on the need to nurture emerging leaders through ethical and inclusive leadership practices.

“We are aligned on the fact that we must nurture the next generation of leadership by demonstrating how leadership can be practiced in an inclusive and ethical way that brings everyone along and helps meet our development goals,” she added.

The roundtable formed part of International Women’s Day activities aimed at promoting gender equality in leadership, finance and corporate governance. Discussions focused on removing barriers that limit women’s participation in senior decision making roles while building stronger pathways for the next generation of female leaders.