SheTrades empowers women entrepreneurs in Accra

More than 200 women entrepreneurs across the country have received practical lessons on how they can scale up their businesses and become globally recognized brands.

The insightful one-day workshop which was held at the Accra City Hotel last Saturday, January 19, 2019, on the theme “preparing for the export market” was an initiative of the SheTrades in the Commonwealth programme.

The women, mostly drawn from the textile, agribusiness and Information Technology (IT) sectors were also given valuable insight into the pros and cons of exporting their goods and services to countries overseas.

Seasoned and successful entrepreneurs such as Ms Viola Labi, Tara Mulhare, Vanessa Bannerman and Roberta Annan took turns and shared with the participants the challenges and opportunities inherent in accessing international markets for businesswomen in the sectors of textiles and apparel, shea, finished beauty products, and the IT sectors.

Maam Tara Mulhare, who chaired most of the discussions, especially those in the textile and agribusiness sectors advised the participant not to rush to export their goods and services.

According to her, it is important for businesswomen to do all the necessary checks in order to be ready for the export market before venturing into it.

Adding that, a lack of preparedness could lead to massive losses and ruin the reputation of a business even before it gets the chance to compete at the global level.

She also admonished the participants to seek for knowledge and information about the international standard requirement of their various sectors before venturing into the export market and to have a solid plan if they were to gain traction in the foreign market.

The SheTrades in the Commonwealth programme aims to increase economic growth and job creation in Commonwealth countries by increasing the participation of women-owned businesses in international trade.

The project is funded by the UK Department for International Development and implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC) under the framework of the SheTrades Initiative.