Standard Chartered, in partnership with Village Capital, has officially announced the call for applications for the 5th Cohort of the Futuremakers Women in Tech Accelerator (FWIT) to support women-owned or led tech-enabled businesses.

The programme will be implemented by the Ashesi University’s Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) with funding from the Standard Chartered Foundation.

The Women in Tech Accelerator empowers women-led and women-owned businesses with the tools, training, and funding needed to leverage technology and build scalable, innovative businesses that address Ghana's pressing economic and environmental challenges for sustainable growth and social impact.

Despite women driving 34 per cent of formal SMEs (World Bank, 2023) and 44 per cent of micro-enterprises in Ghana (Ghana Statistical Service, 2021), persistent barriers like limited access to finance (65%), digital skills gaps (40%), and regulatory hurdles (35%) (Mastercard Index, 2023) hinder their growth.

The FWIT program directly tackles these challenges, fostering sustainable businesses with measurable social impact.

This year’s call underscores Standard Chartered’s dedication to empowering women entrepreneurs and fostering inclusive economic growth. Successful applicants will be enrolled in a rigorous incubation programme that spans business development, leadership, and digital innovation.

The programme will culminate in a pitch and demo day, where the top five finalists will each receive $10,000 in Ghana Cedi equivalent, as grants, to scale their ventures.

Commenting on this year’s programme, Mansa Nettey, Chief Executive, Standard Chartered Ghana Plc said: “Our Women in Tech incubator cultivates a generation of innovators, creating leaders who will inspire others to recognise their own potential for impact.

"Through innovation, leadership, and inspiration, we're creating ripples of change that will transform industries and society for years to come. Additionally, this year’s cohort selection will place a renewed emphasis on inclusion, with preference given to women living with disabilities and underserved communities”.

Over the past four cohorts, 74 women-led businesses have successfully completed the programme, with 21 of them receiving $210,000 (equivalent in Ghana cedis) in equity-free grants to scale their solutions.

The supported ventures span a wide range of sectors, including agriculture, fashion, renewable energy, health, education, and sustainability, demonstrating the diverse and transformative potential of women-led innovation.