The Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT) has urged the Government to prioritise rural businesses, particularly those owned by women, youth and marginalised groups, in the operationalisation of the Women’s Development Bank.
The Network also called for the acceleration of the establishment of the Bank and measures to address systemic barriers that have historically prevented women from accessing finance through traditional banking institutions.
Mrs Patricia Blankson Akakpo, Head of Secretariat of NETRIGHT, made the call on Tuesday at a forum on the theme: “Promoting Inclusive and Gender-Responsive Budget Priorities Through Citizens’ Engagement.”
The call follows the allocation of GH¢51.3 million in seed funding in the 2025 Budget for the establishment of the Women’s Development Bank, with an additional GH¢401 million allocated in the 2026 Budget to crowd-in financing for women-owned Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
Despite the combined allocation of GH¢452.3 million in the 2025 and 2026 budgets, the Bank was yet to be operationalised, raising concerns among rural women, businesses and entrepreneurs who depend on affordable financing to expand their activities.
Mrs Akakpo said although the allocations represented progress, critical issues concerning the Bank’s mandate, structure, target beneficiaries and beneficiary selection processes needed to be clearly defined.
She questioned whether the Bank would adequately address longstanding barriers, including collateral requirements, excessive documentation and high interest rates, which had historically excluded many rural women from the formal financial system.
“What is sure about the Women’s Development Bank? There should be modalities. Is it there?” she asked, stressing the need for clarity on the Bank’s structure and how women would access its funds.
She said NETRIGHT had submitted recommendations to the Ministry of Finance for consideration in the 2027 Budget to address those concerns and ensure that the Bank was effectively implemented to improve women’s access to finance.
Mrs Akakpo advocated the strengthening of existing women-friendly financial mechanisms, including Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs), rather than imposing rigid conventional banking models on beneficiaries.
She also called for transparency and the publication of sex-disaggregated data on the allocation and disbursement of funds to enable citizens to assess whether the Bank was reaching its intended beneficiaries.
Women’s participation in agriculture
On agriculture, Mrs Akakpo said although the Government had identified the sector as a key driver of economic transformation, there were inadequate specific targets, indicators and data to track the participation and benefits of women, youth and marginalised groups.
She said that situation could reinforce existing inequalities, noting that women constituted more than half of Ghana’s agricultural labour force but continued to face barriers to land, finance, inputs, extension services and decision-making.
She therefore recommended that agricultural programmes commit publicly to ensuring that women constituted at least 40 to 50 per cent of beneficiaries, in line with the Affirmative Action Act.
She further called for the systematic collection and publication of sex-disaggregated data to strengthen accountability and measure the impact of agricultural interventions on women.
Mrs Akakpo also proposed deliberate linkages between State programmes, including the School Feeding Programme and the National Food Buffer Stock Company (NAFCO), and women’s producer cooperatives.
Such linkages, she said, would help create reliable markets for women farmers and address persistent challenges associated with market access.
Call for national care policy
Beyond agriculture, Mrs Akakpo raised concerns about the treatment of the care economy, which she said continued to be viewed largely as a private welfare responsibility rather than an important component of economic infrastructure.
She called for the development of a national care policy supported by a costed implementation framework and coordinated by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.
The policy, she said, should provide a coordinated framework for childcare, elder care, disability services and social protection, while recognising the economic value of unpaid and paid care work.
She said addressing gaps in the care economy would not only improve social protection but also enable more women to participate fully in productive and economic activities.
