An aide to the New Patriotic Party flagbearer, Akosua Manu, has underscored the critical role women play in driving economic growth across Africa.
Speaking on The KeyPoints with Alfred Ocansey, she noted that women own or run nearly a third of small and medium enterprises on the continent, despite facing significant barriers to finance.
“Women continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience and ingenuity, even with limited access to financial services,” she said on March 21.
Ms. Manu highlighted that the financing gap for women-led businesses in Africa exceeds 40 billion dollars, describing it as a major constraint on economic transformation.
She added that in Ghana, although women make up about 51 percent of the population and a majority are economically active, access to funding remains a key challenge.
“When women earn income, up to 90 percent is reinvested into family welfare, education and community development,” she stated.
Ms. Manu emphasized that empowering women through targeted financial solutions and partnerships is essential to unlocking broader economic growth and national development.
She urged the John Dramani Mahama administration to continue on the path of the One District One Factory (1D1F) initiative introduced by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo administration to help address unemployment.
She said this would also absorb the country from the effects of the tomato export ban by Burkina Faso.
“There is an opportunity for employment if the government continues on the path of 1D1F,” she said on Key Points on TV3 on Saturday, March 21.
She further stated that the ban on tomatoes by Burkina Faso poses a national security threat. She pointed out that Ghana has not yet reached a level of self-sufficiency in tomato production.
“Tomatoes are essential for food preparation, and a shortage could therefore create a national security crisis,” she added.
“It’s a national security risk. We have not gotten to the level of self-sufficiency when it comes to tomatoes,” she said.
By Christabel Success Treve
