Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang says the soon-to-be-launched Women’s Development Bank will expand financing opportunities for women and support efforts to strengthen their economic empowerment.
She said access to affordable finance remained a major challenge for women, alongside the rising cost of living and the fragility of small businesses, which made improved access to funding critical to their ability to build sustainable livelihoods.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang was speaking at the 3rd Biennial Conference of the Methodist Church Ghana, Northern Accra Diocese Women’s Fellowship, at the Most Rev. Kwesi Dickson Memorial Methodist Church, Adjiringanor Airport East Circuit.
She said women’s economic empowerment was a matter of national economic development and noted that the Government’s policy framework prioritised enterprise and economic transformation, with particular attention to women.
The Vice President, however, said government could not carry the responsibility alone, urging institutions and organisations to complement public interventions by equipping women with the skills and support needed to become self-reliant.
She encouraged the Women’s Fellowship to incorporate digital skills, financial literacy and entrepreneurship into its training programmes to prepare women for the changing world of work.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang said skills training, when combined with financial assistance and mentoring, could enable women to turn knowledge into livelihoods and create opportunities for others.
She commended the Fellowship for its response to the Kantamanto Market fire, describing it as an example of the Methodist tradition of expressing faith through service.
The Vice President urged the women to sustain that spirit by sharing their knowledge, opening doors for others and supporting people in need.
The conference, held on the theme “Walking in the Word, Equipped for Every Good Work,” from 2 Timothy 3:16–17, brought together members of the Women’s Fellowship for worship, reflection and discussions on faith, service and the empowerment of women.
