As part of its commitment to women’s empowerment and skills development, Development Bank Ghana (DBG), commemorated the International Women’s Day 2025 celebration with a special outreach initiative at the Design and Technology Institute (DTI).

All female staff of the bank joined the outreach to engage and mentor young women pursuing technical and vocational education.

The initiative, which aligns with DBG’s corporate social responsibility (CSR), focussed on women and children, building on its 2024 sponsorship of 10 female trainees at the institute.

The staff engaged the students in mentorship and coaching sessions, shared career insights, and encouraged them to take advantage of opportunities in technical and vocational education.

The team also reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to supporting skills development by exploring potential sponsorship for additional female students in the upcoming academic year.

The initiative aligns with the national agenda to promote technical and vocational education and training (TVET).

It will also enhance female participation in skilled trades through investments in women’s education and empowerment in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 4 - supporting access to skills development and training; Goal 5 - promoting equal opportunities for women in male-dominated fields and Goal 8 - preparing young women for sustainable careers.

Rationale

The Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at DBG, Michael Mensah-Baah, highlighted the significance of the initiative, saying: "DBG recognises the critical role of technical and vocational education in shaping Ghana’s future workforce”.

“By supporting young women in this space, we are breaking barriers and creating pathways for economic empowerment. This initiative is more than just mentorship, it’s about inspiring the next generation of female leaders in the industry,” he added.

Mr Mensah-Baah said DBG was a wholesale bank committed to driving economic transformation by providing long-term financing, risk-sharing guarantees and capacity-building support to businesses, particularly SMEs. 

Opportunities

The President of the institute, Constance Swaniker, emphasised the importance of gender equality, saying: “Creating opportunities for all and accelerating gender equality is key”.

“It is beautiful to see confident women breaking into male-dominated spaces, which hitherto was not in existence.

“On the other hand, we must also recognise the role men play, as they set the pace and serve as role models for us,” she added.

The DTI is a private technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institution which was established in March 2016.

Its mission is to serve as a hub for engineering and design practices by bridging the gap between academia and industry through practical, hands-on experience.