‘Women must become millionaires too’ — Prof Jane Naana on establishment of Women Development Bank

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has unveiled plans to establish a Women's Development Bank aimed at nurturing women entrepreneurs and business owners if elected in the upcoming polls.

The proposed bank was announced on Wednesday, April 24, by NDC vice presidential candidate Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang during her official outdoor ceremony.

"We will actively pursue the establishment of a Women Development Bank to nurture and grow women-owned, women-led businesses," said Prof. Opoku Agyemang in her acceptance speech.

She explained that the bank would provide crucial access to capital for small business owners like market traders currently working on a small scale.

“Women must become millionaires too, through hard work, as the men do. Women do not need handouts. We need a hand up," she stated.

Prof. Opoku Agyemang envisions the bank being run by a board made up of women's cooperatives and trading associations to give voice to customers.

This would empower women to invest profits in their families and communities, she argued.

The former Education Minister noted that supporting women's entrepreneurship has widespread benefits.

“When women prosper, they invest in their children and wider families. There is better stability and peace at home; most will demand less ‘chop money'," she said.

In addition to the new bank, the NDC plans to modernize Ghana's markets, which are integral to many women's livelihoods.

“Market women deserve the benefits of a clean, modernized marketplace," Prof. Opoku Agyemang stated.