Industry & Consumer Information with Johnson Opoku-Boateng: The Rise and Rise of Women in Business

“Black female entrepreneurs don’t make excuses, we find solutions. We’re leaders – resourceful, ambitious, hardworking and creative. We’re powerful, unstoppable, confident, smart and fearless. We’re Exquisite Black Queens who represent Black Excellence… We are success! There’s no denying it…Black female entrepreneurs are resilient and we rock!” These words by Stephanie Lahart, an accomplished author, are written in gold because not only are they true, but they are also timeless!

Women in Business

Women in business are probably more than men in business. This is clearly true when you consider all the womenfolk trading at our markets and grocery stores in our neighbourhoods. On our various farmlands, women play a key role in filling the breadbaskets of this country. It is rather unfortunate that women struggle to climb the ladder of power and recognition more than men, and the reasons are myriad.

Despite this, there seems to be an upsurge of women entrepreneurs in Ghana. Two categories of women entrepreneurs exist: women who lead businesses and women who own businesses. The challenges are enormous, but we have in recent times seen women who are defying the odds to take their rightful positions in the entrepreneurial world: Manufacturing, hospitality, banking, aviation, architecture, etc. These are interesting times indeed, and society must turn its attention to this new development and help the upward climb of our women industrialists.

The Promise of Sustainable Development Goal 5

Founded and established in 2015 by the United Nations, the sustainable development goals (SDGs) have the following as their mission statement: “A blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all people and the world by 2030”. All the 17 SDGs tackle very pertinent items globally, but perhaps only one touches on getting everyone on board to resolve all the other sixteen. This is SDG 5 – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Of all the targets set to be achieved under SDG 5, the three most profound which directly seek to push the agenda for women leadership are the following: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere; Ensure opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life; Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws.

While many countries, including sub-Saharan Africa, struggle in keeping to these targets, there seem to be a movement by women to take their destinies into their own hands. The growing number of women-owned and women-led businesses in Ghana is encouraging. Mrs. Kate Quartey Papafio, CEO-Reroy Cables; Mrs. Grace Amey Obeng of FC; Fatima Alimohammed of Africa Brand Warrior; Mrs. Awurabena Okrah of Winglow Clothes & Textiles are a few of our astute women entrepreneurs who are making headlines consistently.

Challenges

Women leaders go through a lot of challenges apart from issues of discrimination. Many of the issues women industrialists go through are common to every business even if owned by men. Access to capital, high cost of capital, access to market and high cost of electricity just to mention a few. These challenges can be overcome with two key actions: women should increasingly become entrepreneurs and manage their own businesses. That way, issues of discrimination, salary disparities and all the other negative actions which militate against women will be brought to a minimum. The other challenge to overcome is quality. It is key for every woman entrepreneur to incorporate quality into her work. A quality culture should be incorporated into the companies to make them resilient in the marketplace.

Leadership in Entrepreneurship

A portion of an article on the Hult International Business School by one Katie Reynolds on Women in business: advantages, challenges, and opportunities had this to say: “For a growing number of women, the fastest route to the c-suite is launching their own business. In the United States, the number of women-owned businesses has increased by 74% over the past 20 years—1.5 times the national average.

“Today’s start-up culture empowers women to be their own boss and pay their own salary, defining how they want to work and making the balance of career and family life easier. Entrepreneurship presents a path for women to close the pay gap, and rise to leadership positions on their own terms. Running their own company also offers the opportunity for women to collaborate with and hire other ambitious, like-minded women – fostering a new generation of women in leadership roles.”

 Conclusion

The current business environment has been more tolerant of women entrepreneurs than it was in the past. Women therefore must take advantage of this and go all out. This quote by Oprah Winfrey is key to innovation: “On my own I will just create, and if it works, it works; and if it doesn’t, I’ll create something else. I don’t have any limitations on what I think I could do or be”. Happy 2^nd anniversary to the AGI Women in Business, industry beckons you to greatness!

Johnson Opoku-Boateng is the Founder & Lead Consultant, QA CONSULT (Consultants and Trainers in Quality Assurance, Health & Safety, Environmental Management systems, Manufacturing Excellence and Food Safety). He is also a consumer safety advocate and helps businesses with Regulatory Affairs. He can be reached on +233209996002, email: [email protected]; [email protected]