The United States has supported Ghanaian women entrepreneurs through the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) Programme.

Marking Global Entrepreneurship Week, the US Ambassador to Ghana, Mrs Stephanie S. Sullivan, in her remarks at the graduation ceremony of the US Department of State’s Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE) second cohort, applauded the 48 cohort members and encouraged them to remain resilient and determined.

“All of us here today know how much women business owners, both in the informal and formal sectors, contribute to and drive Ghana’s economic prosperity,” she said.

“In addition to boosting economic growth, investing in women produces a multiplier effect because women reinvest a large portion of their income in their families and communities.”

Hosted by the Embassy’s implementing partner, the event took place at the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Regional Leadership Center located in the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration.  

AWE follows the DreamBuilder course developed by the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona.

The online programme provides flexibility to budding women entrepreneurs, who follow the course at their own pace, with supplemental sessions facilitated by experienced women entrepreneurs and subject matter experts in finance, marketing, and logistics.

AWE provides online education resources, fosters networks that support access to mentorships, and connects women through existing US government exchange programmes.

Participants from the second AWE cohort included entrepreneurs from the agricultural, food and beverage, cosmetics, personal care, and textile sectors.

AWE is a part of the US Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, a whole-of-government effort to advance global women’s economic empowerment, established in February 2019.

Since the programme’s inception, 78 Ghanaian female entrepreneurs have completed the AWE programme.

AWE was a pilot program in 2019 in 26 countries, including 10 in Africa: Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Since then, the programme has expanded to over 50 countries and has trained over 7,000 women.