About GWES

Empowering women is one of the most crucial concerns of the Millennium Development Goals
(SDGs) of the United Nations.

Background and Rationale

The Government of Ghana attaches a lot of importance to women empowerment due to lesser opportunities available to women even though there are more females than males.

To help address the challenges women face and to help build a resilient economy, the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA) has put in place a lot of interventions that specifically target the economic empowerment of women in Ghana. Over 65% of GEA’s interventions target women, making it an institution with the welfare of the female at heart.

To this end, GEA, leveraged on its Youth Entrepreneurship and Employment Program (YEEP) and in partnership with Mastercard Foundation designed a three-year project under the Young Africa Works (YAW) Programme. The Partnership seeks to unlock opportunities for youth employment in Ghana, and to create access to dignified work for 39,000 youth and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Seventy percent of those targeted will be young women.

This Partnership aligns with the government’s Ghana Beyond Aid agenda and its focus on transforming Ghana’s MSMEs into engines of Economic Growth. As a Young Africa Works Ghana partner, GEA will leverage on the project to provide growth opportunities for existing young Entrepreneurs by facilitating access to Finance, Markets, and Business Development Services. GEA will equip youth with digital, vocational, and life skills whilst also leveraging technology to connect jobseekers with opportunities. The Programme will further leverage existing GEA flagship Programs such as the Apprenticeship to Entrepreneurship (A2E), Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship (ICE) Hubs, and Kaizen Program.

Over the years, GEA has used the Young Africa Woks partnership to spearhead the Ghana Women Entrepreneurship Summit (GWES), a platform that has helped to further advance women economic empowerment and created the largest database of women entrepreneurs in Ghana.

To accelerate the support for women’s economic empowerment, GEA and the Mastercard Foundation Young Africa Works Project, with the support of SHE Hub and some Private Sector Organizations, Women CEOs and other gender advocates, have come together to form the Women Entrepreneurs on the Rise (WERise) Network. WERise will have National, Regional and District presence.

About the Ghana Women Entrepreneurship Summit

The 2022 Ghana Women Entrepreneurship Summit (GWES 2022) is planned for 25th to 29th April, 2022, to be held in Accra under the theme: “Breaking Barriers, Accelerating Women-Owned Businesses”. The President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo shall attend the Opening of GWES 2022 and launch of WERise with the CEO and President of the Mastercard Foundation, Ms Reeta Roy. Other dignitaries in attendance will include the Minister for Trade and Industry, Hon. Alan Kyerematen, the Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Nana Ama Dokua Asiamah-Adjei, Her Excellency the Canadian Ambassador Madam Kati Csaba, and the Country Director of the Mastercard Foundation, Ms. Rosy Fynn.

The side events to be undertaken in the regions include:
• Mentoring
• Business Pitching training
• MSME Round tables
• Trade shows
• Job linkages
• SME capacity building
• Masterclasses
Learn about the Ghana Women Entrepreneurship Summit 2022 Masterclasses
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