Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has reaffirmed the government's commitment to establishing the Women's Development Bank, saying the initiative is aimed at providing financial support to women who are unable to access traditional banking services.

Speaking on The KSM Show on Friday, August 7, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said the government is determined to launch the bank before the end of the year.

"We said we'll do the Women's Development Bank. We are dead serious about it," she said. "I'm hoping that before this year ends, we'd have launched it."

The Vice President said the bank will focus on women operating in the informal sector, including petty traders and hawkers, who often struggle to secure loans because they lack collateral or formal financial records.

Questioning whether existing banking services adequately cater for low-income women, she said, "Does it include this lady who went to get somebody's doughnuts to hawk? Where will this woman get her capital? She's also a woman."

According to her, the Women's Development Bank is intended to bridge that gap by providing financial opportunities to women who remain outside the reach of conventional banking institutions.

Prof. Opoku-Agyemang added that the government's broader priorities remain economic recovery, security and skills development.

"You must start with the things that affect everyone, like the economy, like security. We must all feel safe. We must all get proper training to be able to contribute to that same economy," she said.

She also commended President John Dramani Mahama's efforts to remove barriers to economic growth and improve livelihoods across the country.