The business world is full of eager young female entrepreneurs. Funding is a problem though, which is why several funding institutions have a specific focus on women’s entrepreneurs.
By Craig Falck for Africa Report.
Photograph: © Carlosphotos | Dreamstime.com
Up until now, a lack of education and opportunities prevented women from cracking into the male-dominated business world. But thanks to female-friendly entrepreneurship programs, more and more women are getting access to startup capital.
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Oiko Credit, a microfinance private funding firm,knows the value of female entrepreneurs. Oiko places special emphasis on rural areas and specifically women in business. They use their funds to invest in businesses that they have assessed and believe will have a successful future, taking into account the gender dynamics of the enterprise, and they guarantee their investors that the funds are used to uplift societies and give everyone the chance to own their own business.
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Ghana’s African Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme was launched last December by Hannah Tetteh, the Minister of Trade and Industry. The West African country is leading by example with this program that acts as a rallying point for woman entrepreneurship in the marketplace. Its mission statement is to seek the empowerment of women in business and to have a positive impact on society through strong-willed women who are driven to succeed in the male-dominated business world. It’s an extension of the program championed by Hilary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, who has made it her goal to assist women around the world to become business leaders, especially with SMEs that are proving popular entry points to the business world.
