The Women in Entrepreneurship Awards (WIEA), a nongovernmental organisation, has added a new category to its scheme to identify, empower and celebrate innovative business owners with disabilities making a difference in their communities.
Madam Emma-Marie Deeku, General Manager of WIEA, made the closure at the launch of the 2023 edition of WIEA and Ellevate Summit in Accra.
She said, she was hopeful that the new category dubbed, “Persons with Disability (PWD) Entrepreneur of the Year”, would inspire all PWDs to embrace entrepreneurship as WIEA sought to recognise the crucial role they play in driving innovation and economic progress.
Madam Deeku noted that the award scheme did not only award winners but also present recognition certificates to all nominees.
This, she said, would encourage all participants to strive for excellence.
WIEA aims at empowering and recognizing the strong impactful effort by some women in the business industry and contributing to Ghana’s economic growth.
WIEA 2023 registered tough competition in 25 categories, including Woman Entrepreneur of the Year; Fashion Entrepreneur of the Year; Beauty Entrepreneur of the Year; Beverage Brand of the Year; Most Promising Entrepreneur of the Year; Family Business of the Year, Made in Ghana Product of the Year; Social Entrepreneur of the Year, Food Entrepreneur of the Year.
Others are Agri-Woman of the Year; Most Inspiring Woman Entrepreneur of the Year; Health and Well-Being Entrepreneur of the Year; Micro/Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year; Financial Service Provider of the Year; Social Entrepreneur of the Year; and Woman Entrepreneur Under 25 of the Year.
Madam Deeku said this year, aside the PWD category, the Scheme had also introduced the ‘Woman Entrepreneur Under 25 of the Year’ which seeks to identify and empower young women doing exceptionally well with their business.
She reiterated that, in addition, WIEA would also celebrate ‘100 Most Successful Women Entrepreneurs’ in Ghana, encouraged women to persevere and be determined to achieve higher heights in life.
Professor Goski Alabi, Co-Founder and President of Laweh University College, urged women entrepreneurs to be innovative, hence, should be able to identify and grab opportunities within every crisis.
“When we fail to recognise opportunities that come with crisis, that change will fizzle us out, we must understand the change in trends of customer behavior,” she said.
Oheneyere Gifty Anti, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GDA Media Limited, who chaired the event on the theme: “Digitization: Scaling-up Business in Economic Cri,”s”, encouraged nominees to be goal-oriented.
She said they should deliberatly add value to themselves and purposeful in achieving their goals.
Mrs Gwyneth Gyimah Addo, CEO of Hair Senta, also underscored the need for young entrepreneurs to adopt business digitization and use of technology which are appropriate tools to be competitive, innovative, and as well strengthen business integrity.
She touched on the need for entrepreneurs to serve, “greatness is the by-product of learning how to serve, so we first have to be servants, if a customer approaches and you don’t have a heart to serve how you will get the time to think of new ideas to solve problems.”
Dr Loretta Sarpong, Head of Women’s Desk at Ecobank Ghana PLC, said the Bank was willing to provide financial and non-financial support to businesses through its ‘Ellevate Programme’, where they could have access to collateral free/interest free loans.
“Once we open an account for you, we sign you unto the ‘GHQR’ which works just like mobile money; the Bank sees the inflow and outflow of cash from your business, and that guarantees collateral free/interest free loans.”
Women in Entrepreneurship Ghana is a Non – Governmental Organization that seeks to bring all businesswomen on a common platform where they are given assistance and advice on and off the grounds of business.