Ghana prioritizes women and youth in trade and industrial transformation

Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, Minister for Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry, has reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to empowering women and youth-led enterprises as central drivers of economic growth and regional integration under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Speaking at Day 2 of the 2026 Africa Prosperity Dialogues (APD) at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) on Thursday, 5th February, 2026, Hon. Ofosu-Adjare commended the Africa Prosperity Network for convening the dialogue under the theme “Empowering SMEs, Women and Youth in Africa’s Single Market: Innovate, Collaborate, Trade.”

She emphasized the alignment of the initiative with Agenda 2063, highlighting Africa’s vision for inclusive and industrialized growth driven by its people.

Since the launch of AfCFTA trading in January 2021, she noted, Africa has made significant progress, with close to 50 ratifications, the Guided Trade Initiative, and the adoption of the Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade. “This protocol is a binding commitment to remove structural barriers and expand access to finance, skills, digital trade, and regional value chain opportunities,” she said.

In Ghana, under President John Dramani Mahama’s leadership, concrete steps are being taken to translate these continental ambitions into action. Hon. Ofosu-Adjare highlighted efforts to strengthen value addition, drive industrial growth, and expand export capacity. Through her Ministry, in collaboration with the Ghana Enterprises Agency and other partners, MSMEs have been prioritized as engines of job creation and value addition.

“Women lead nearly half of MSMEs, and Africa’s youth represent an unparalleled source of innovation and productivity. Empowering these groups is an economic imperative,” she said.

The Minister stressed the importance of moving beyond raw commodity exports such as cocoa, shea nuts, cashew, and honey, advocating for higher-value processing to maximize economic benefits. She outlined the Feed the Industry program, designed to address raw material supply challenges and ensure a sustainable flow of quality inputs to industries, thereby creating jobs and increasing resilience.

Inclusive growth remains central to Ghana’s industrial strategy, she said, highlighting programs that have trained over 155,000 entrepreneurs, provided startup kits for more than 6,000 women and youth-led MSMEs, and improved access to financing.

Grants and financing mechanisms under the Ghana Economic Transformation Project, backed by the World Bank, have been activated to spur private sector investment and firm upgrading.

Hon. Ofosu-Adjare identified four critical priorities for fully realizing Africa’s trade potential: operationalizing AfCFTA rules and the Guided Trade Initiative, investing in digital and physical infrastructure, developing innovative financing solutions for women and youth enterprises, and strengthening public-private and cross-border partnerships to scale regional value chains.

The Minister further called on all stakeholders to leave Accra with concrete commitments.

“Invest in women and youth-led SMEs, prioritize value addition in agribusiness and industry using AI and digital tools, remove remaining trade barriers, and collaborate across borders via AfCFTA and global forums. Together, we will build a single African market where SMEs, women, and youth drive sustainable prosperity, job creation, and structural transformation.”

By: Bawa Musah

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