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By Annie Aborah, Ag Chief Risk Officer, Chairperson of Women’s Network Forum, Absa Bank Ghana LTD
For many years, the conversation about gender equality in the workplace has focused on empowerment. Women have been encouraged to step up, lean in, and seize opportunities. At a recent Women’s Network Forum event hosted by Absa Bank Ghana, a different message emerged: women do not need more motivation-we need real access, institutional support, and a seat at the decision-making table.
Women need to own their success, financial institutions and businesses should provide equal access to resources, and organisations must move beyond the rhetoric to implement real policies that dismantle biases.
One of the most poignant points of the event was made by Janet Sunkwa-Mills, an entrepreneur who highlighted a fundamental challenge many women face: self-doubt. Throughout her career, she was repeatedly asked, “Can you?”- a question that subtly reinforced the idea that women must prove themselves in ways men do not.
The truth is competence speaks louder than bias. Women must take control of their professional and financial growth, ensuring their skills and contributions are so visible that bias becomes irrelevant. As Patricia Obo-Nai, CEO of Telecel remarked, “Bring your competence to the table - because results are the only language that cannot be ignored.”
However, competence alone is not enough. Whilst women can own their success, if the systems around them remain unchanged, progress will stall.
Workplace policies must evolve to support women’s career progression. As of 2023, only 18% of employed women were in wage or salaried jobs, and of that number, only 26.6% held senior and middle management positions in Ghana. It stands to reason that flexible working arrangements, fair parental leave, fair remuneration and structured leadership pipelines are not privileges; they are necessary frameworks for ensuring women can compete on equal terms.
Women already play a critical role in Ghana’s economy. According to the World Bank, 65.3% of women participate in the labour force, yet many struggle to access finance. As of 2023, 58% of women entrepreneurs cited lack of funding as their biggest obstacle.
Financial inclusion is critical to overcoming these barriers. This is where initiatives like Absa’s female banking proposition, SHE Business make a difference. One of its key features is collateral-free loans of up to GHS 2 million, which removes one of the most significant barriers women face when accessing credit. The programme also includes highly discounted interest rates (10% per annum) to ease the financial pressure on women, as well as comprehensive insurance cover to safeguard businesses against unforeseen risks.
Beyond SHE Business, Absa Bank has several broader efforts that support women entrepreneurs. Through its partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, over GHS 630 million in loans have been disbursed to women at 10% per annum. Capacity-building remains a crucial part of this initiative. In 2024, a total of 3,492 women, including smallholder farmers, received training to enhance their business skills. Absa Bank also facilitates platforms that grant women access to international markets. For example, the annual Inspire Me Conference empowers women entrepreneurs to reach new markets, connect with buyers, and establish international business partnerships. In 2024, this conference supported thirty (30) delegates from diverse industries to explore partnerships in Kenya.
Another key aspect of Absa Bank's support for women is the SME Business Clinics, which provide businesses with practical training, strategic insights, and networking platforms to scale their businesses. In 2024 alone, 336 women attended these clinics, representing 41.6% of the total participants.
It is not enough for companies and policymakers to talk about gender equality; there is a need to implement structural changes that support it. Some of the most prominent suggestions that emerged from the event included rethinking hiring and promotion processes to ensure deserving female candidates have clear pathways to leadership, creating mentorship and sponsorship opportunities that open doors to senior leadership, and encouraging men to serve as allies in creating inclusive environments.
The reality is, when women thrive, businesses and economies thrive. The data is clear: companies with more women in leadership outperform their peers, and countries with strong female workforce participation experience faster economic growth.
As the event concluded, one statement stood tall: “We cannot wait.” If gender equality progresses at its current pace, it will take over a century to close the global gender gap, and that is unacceptable. Real change requires urgency.
The path forward is clear: women must take ownership of their success, institutions must create access, and organisations must enforce policies that drive inclusion.
Now is the time to accelerate action - not just for the benefit of women, but for the country as a whole.
The Women’s Network Forum is an internal initiative by Absa Bank Ghana aimed at empowering female colleagues through structured programmes in education, financial literacy, professional development, networking, mentoring, and coaching. Its core objective is to promote equity and inclusion within Absa Bank Ghana. The event Absa Women’s Network Forum event, held under the theme Accelerate Action: Overcoming Biases and Barriers Women Face in the Workplace, served as a thought leadership platform to explore practical strategies for achieving gender equality in the world of work. The event was graced by several distinguished personalities, including guest speaker Patricia Obo-Nai, CEO of Telecel Ghana; Frances Adu-Mante, Board Chair of Absa Bank Ghana; Judith Haizel, Compliance Director at Absa Bank Ghana; and Evelyn Acquah, Chief Customer Officer at Absa Bank Ghana.
The panel featured Janet Sunkwa-Mills, an accomplished entrepreneur, and CEO of Jane'm Salon & Spa; Dr Afua Ansre, a senior gender specialist and former UN adviser; Christabel Vorgbe, Head of Youth Segment at Absa Bank Ghana; and Julian Boakye, Learning and Development Partner at Absa Bank Ghana.
