Telecel Ghana, through its enterprise arm, Telecel Business, has held the third edition of its Women 100 Power Connect, bringing together 100 influential women from business, governance, academia, technology, and entrepreneurship.

They discussed how reciprocity can strengthen leadership and expand opportunities for women in business.

Held as the climax of the company’s month-long Women’s Month activities under the theme “Give to Rise: The Power of Reciprocity,” the gathering forms part of Telecel’s broader Women in Business initiative, which supports women-led enterprises with visibility, business development opportunities and tailored resources for growth.

Telecel Ghana CEO, Ing. Patricia Obo-Nai, set the tone for the evening, saying the gathering was intended to create a space where women in leadership could share lessons across sectors and generations.

“We dedicated the entire month of March to women because meaningful recognition must create opportunity, visibility and action. Throughout the month, we are training 1,000 young girls in coding, hosted a power fireside chat on powering the progress of women and climaxing it with tonight’s conversation on the power of reciprocal leadership,” Ing. Obo-Nai said.

The keynote speaker, Ghana’s former Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Sophia Akuffo (Rtd), urged women in positions of influence to deliberately open pathways for younger women and ensure leadership creates opportunities beyond individual success.

“When you go through the door, hold it open for others. Try as much as possible to push other women so they also get to where you are and even beyond.

"When the women we support become better than us, then we know we have made it. We must be conscious about the legacy we leave; it should be something lasting, something that reflects who we are and what we have done.”

She described trust as one of the most powerful forms of reciprocity, noting that many women rise because someone chooses to trust their ability before they fully recognise it themselves.

The event also featured candid reflections from a senior psychiatrist and CEO of the Ghana Mental Health Authority, Prof. Pinaman Appau, as well as a social entrepreneur and CEO of Song-Ba Empowerment Centre, Rhoda Wedam, who shared perspectives on consistency, mentorship and creating support systems for women navigating professional and informal sectors.

Hosted in Osu, the evening blended conversation and networking with live music and curated networking moments designed to encourage collaboration among participants across sectors.

Women 100 Power Connect remains one of the engagement pillars under Telecel’s Women in Business platform, which was introduced to build a stronger ecosystem for women-led small and medium enterprises through access to business tools, capacity building and enterprise support.

Tawa Bolarin, Telecel Ghana’s Director of Enterprise Business & Wholesale, said that Women 100 Power Connect continues to evolve as a space where women leaders can exchange ideas and benefit from networks that accelerate the growth of their enterprises or trade.

“At Telecel Business, we see strong networks as one of the most valuable growth assets any entrepreneur can have, especially for women building and leading businesses.

"I would encourage female entrepreneurs and business leaders to visit the Telecel Women in Business website for more information and to become part of the movement, so together we can continue creating pathways for growth, collaboration and impact,” Ms Bolarin said.