Center for Entrepreneurship and Evaluation Development (CEED) in partnership with Assadaqaat Community Finance and Cardiff University Business School have held an 8-week training program for women in business to improve upon their skills and knowledge in setting up and managing businesses.
Gifty Volimkarime, the founder of CEED said the organisation realised that while women had a strong entrepreneurial drive, there was the need to equip them with the right skills and knowledge to help them make greater impact in their work.
“We developed this program in partnership with Assadaqaat Community Finance and Cardiff University in the Covid-19 era to train women who have the interest to develop their own business or those who have a business to gain more knowledge on how to grow them. Today’s event was to celebrate our participants and also give them the platform and also select promising businesses and bring them to the limelight”
On the issue of startup capital for businesses, she said most of the businesses receiving training were already operating, so efforts were rather focused on how to scale businesses.
“These businesses are not virgin ideas, they are already in the market so we look at scaling them since we don’t have a start up for the women but we are developing other programs that will have a package for startup and also give them a little financial push,” she said.
According to her, women are the most vulnerable, especially in times of crisis and so required extra support and help especially amidst the Covid pandemic period where many businesses collapsed.
Volimkarime further advised unemployed women to seek and take up the opportunity at hand and benefit from it.
The principal program officer at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection Vera Karikari Bediako expressed satisfaction with the various businesses exhibited by the participants, stressing the significant contribution of women in the society both at home and in the business sector.
“According to the United Nations, investing in women economic empowerment sets a direct path towards gender equality, poverty eradication and inclusive economic growth. Women make various contributions, whether businesses or farms, as entrepreneurs or employees. We all know if women decide today not to undertake household chores, we all know what will happen to the economy.”