Ghana pushes launch of Women’s Development Bank and urges funding for gender‑focused policies

Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku‑Agyemang said the government is “dead serious” about establishing a Women’s Development Bank and aims to launch it before the end of the year. The bank will target women in the informal sector – petty traders, hawkers and small‑scale entrepreneurs – who often lack collateral and formal documentation for loans. Opoku‑Agyemang linked the initiative to broader economic recovery, security and skills development, and praised President John Dramani Mahama’s efforts to remove growth barriers.

At the Women’s Impact Day closing the Abuja Business and Investment Expo, Deputy Chief of Staff Nana Oye Bampoe‑Addo urged African governments to move beyond passing gender‑friendly laws and to fund their implementation. She called for financing of land‑titling, maternal health and childcare policies, and for better links between informal women traders and formal financial institutions. Bampoe‑Addo also appealed for easier cross‑border movement for women entrepreneurs across the continent, citing the need to treat women traders like goods in regional trade.

Both officials highlighted the need for concrete financial support to unlock the economic potential of women entrepreneurs across Ghana and Africa.