By Edith Atiaka Eshun
The First Vice-President of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) and Head of the Women and Youth Wing (GNCCI-WAY), Madam Emelia Assiakwa, has urged women entrepreneurs to remain resilient and take advantage of available business opportunities to grow sustainably.
She made this call at the launch of the Tema Coordinators of the GNCCI-WAY, which also included training sessions for women and youth entrepreneurs under the Tema Chamber. The training focused on empowering participants for economic growth through improved business planning, financial management, and enterprise development.
“GNCCI-WAY was launched just last year, and as part of our training in Tema and Accra, we’re reaching out to all regions with our WeRise initiative,” Madam Assiakwa explained. “We gather women, assess their needs—some are already into high-quality production but lack access to markets, so we step in to bridge the gap.”
She added: “Some are still in the early stages of their business ideas. We help nurture those ideas, working with them to bring their concepts to life. We assess each case individually to see what support is needed.”
Acknowledging the challenges women face—such as limited access to funding, education, and trade facilities—Madam Assiakwa said the GNCCI-WAY initiative is designed to support women in line with the government’s policy of increasing exports through value addition. This, she noted, would help reduce the country’s reliance on imports.
“Our focus is on improving market access, securing funding, and building the capacity of these entrepreneurs,” she said. “It aligns with the national agenda to move from import dependency to a value-added export-driven economy.”
Madam Assiakwa emphasized that GNCCI’s support is not limited to its members. Women and youth-led enterprises across the country are being assessed, supported, and linked to market opportunities through targeted interventions.
Also speaking at the event, the Head of Corporate Banking at Ghana EXIM Bank, Mrs. Sarah Arhin, encouraged local businesses to remain focused and leverage available opportunities to grow and meet international market demands. She reiterated EXIM Bank’s commitment to building and sustaining strong local industries.
