Fifty women entrepreneurs at the weekend graduated from the Access Bank Women Pitch-A-Ton Season five.
The Womenpreneur Pitch-A-Ton is under the W-Initiative which is meant to empower women economically and support them to create thriving businesses.
Each of the participants was presented with a certificate, and the top three participants were each presented with a seed capital of GH¢100, 000.
Another three among the top ten participants were also presented with a seed capital of GH¢10, 000.
The winner of the Managing Director Prize for Most Eco-friendly Business took a seed prize of GH¢10, 000.
This year’s programme, which was focused on agribusiness, was implemented with partners such as GIZ, GOPA AFC.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, the Executive Director of Retail and Digital Banking, Pearl Nkrumah, said the programme, now in its fifth season, aimed to inspire and empower female entrepreneurs.
She said the Season five was focused on supporting women entrepreneurs in the Agric and Agri-related sectors.
She said about 130 women-owned businesses had benefitted from the programme.
She said the bank would continue to leverage strategic partnerships to develop their skill sets, and create platforms for them to engage with equity investors for further business growth.
The Group Head of Retail and Digital Banking, Matilda Asante-Asiedu, congratulated the participants for going through the programme successfully.
She said Access Bank would continue to support the participants to help their businesses grow.
“Today, as we celebrate this graduation, let it be known that this isn’t the culmination of our shared journey. At Access Bank, we value not just transactions but transformational relationships. Your continuous growth is our priority,” she said.
“Expect a plethora of valuable offerings, including business support services, tailor-made trainings, personalised mentoring, coaching, and enhanced access to markets,” she said.
Ms Asante-Asiedu said Access Bank would soon hold the inaugural Womenpreneur Alumni Leadership and Networking Forum to bring participants of the programme to share their experiences with others.
The Project Lead for the GIZ AgriBiz Programme, Christoph Pannhausen, said the Womenpreneur Pitch-A-Ton was in line with the GIZ AgriBiz programme.
He said GIZ decided to support the programme because of its capacity to create employment.
Mrs Ruth Wewura Guribie, the Chief Executive Officer of Sava Shea Company Limited, who was one of the top three winners, said the seed capital would help her restructure her business and procure new machinery to expand her business.
She asked the financial institutions in the country to relax their rules to enable women entrepreneurs to access loans to finance and expand their businesses.
Mrs Guribie entreated women entrepreneurs to avail themselves for such programmes.
BY KINGSLEY ASARE
