Ghana’s plan to establish a Women’s Development Bank is once again drawing attention as the 2026 Budget reading approaches on Thursday, November 13.
The initiative, first announced in the 2025 Budget with an allocation of GH₵51.3 million, was designed to provide financial support tailored to women entrepreneurs, offering affordable loans, business training, and financial inclusion programs to help grow women-led enterprises across the country.
But as the government prepares to outline its spending priorities for 2026, questions are mounting over whether the Women’s Bank will receive the additional funding it needs to begin operations. Will the government give it the push it needs to move beyond plans and paperwork? Or will it remain another well-intentioned initiative struggling for support amid competing national priorities?
Experts say the concept of a Women’s Bank is timely, given the growing need to close Ghana’s gender financing gap. Many women-owned businesses continue to face limited access to credit, often constrained by lack of collateral or high borrowing costs. Advocates believe that targeted support through such a bank could boost entrepreneurship, reduce inequality, and drive community development.
However, concerns persist about the feasibility of launching a new bank with the funds currently available. Professor Peter Quartey, Director of the Institute of Statistical, Social, and Economic Research (ISSER), speaking earlier in March 2025, cautioned that while the initiative is commendable, the GH₵51.3 million allocation is far from sufficient to establish a fully operational bank.
“The idea of empowering women through dedicated funding is laudable, but establishing a new bank may not be the most effective way to achieve this goal,” he said.
“Instead, we should consider creating dedicated women’s desks or units within existing banks, which already have extensive branch networks across the country,” he added.
Prof. Quartey further emphasized the need for transparency and efficient fund management.
“We need a robust system to identify beneficiaries and ensure that resources are allocated transparently and equitably,” he said.
His remarks highlight a deeper concern about how government-backed development initiatives are executed. Past programs, while promising on paper, have often faced implementation setbacks due to funding constraints, bureaucratic bottlenecks, or limited oversight.
As the finance minister prepares to deliver the 2026 Budget, many are watching closely to see if the Women’s Bank will finally get the attention and the resources it deserves. Will the government scale up its support to make the project operational? Or will fiscal pressures and competing policy priorities delay its launch even further?
The coming days will provide the answer. But one thing remains clear: if properly funded and effectively managed, the Women’s Development Bank could be a transformative step toward empowering women and strengthening Ghana’s economic resilience.
Or will it, like many promising initiatives before it, be quietly shelved?
