Chief Executive Officer and Founder of UNI-Jay Fashions, Janet Abobigu, has been celebrated as the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) Woman Icon 2023 for Ashanti Region.
Ms. Abobigu has a garment manufacturing company with a focus on uniforms, specialised clothing and bespoke women’s apparel. She has trained a lot of people, mostly young females, in the fashion industry and is driven by quality and excellent craftsmanship. She has earned several awards over the years, due to her hard work and passion to succeed.
Speaking at a ceremony to celebrate her and to open a three-day exhibition for women in the Ashanti Region, Ms. Abobigu encouraged young women and the youth to persevere till they hit their mark, even if their current conditions and environment are not favourable.
She advised them to forge on, start with as little as they can, seek professional advice from government agencies such as GEPA, among others, and carefully adhere to the advice and directions that will be given to them.
Chief Executive Officer-GEPA, Dr. Afua Asabea Asare, in a speech described the CEO of Uni-Jay Fashions as a true icon who has dedicated her life to improving the lives of people in the Ashanti Region, and has made significant strides in areas such as fashion, social care and mentorship.
She added that Ms. Abobigu’s commitment to empowering women and girls has been unwavering, and has championed initiatives which have enabled women to participate fully in the region’s social and economic life.
Dr. Asare further lauded her for willpower to succeed despite the obstacles of social, cultural and political powers, even though her educational background is not solid.
She therefore called for support of women-owned businesses to help build a more inclusive and prosperous economy.
Furthermore, in a speech read on behalf of the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, he lauded the ‘Women Icon’ initiative; saying this will help bridge the gap between men and women, and stem the time of women’s overdependence on their male counterparts.
Additionally, he noted that economically empowered and independent women are very reliable in nation-building.
He then expressed appreciation to Access Bank for their role in this initiative, and called for extensive capacity building with emphasis on book-keeping, business ethics, prudence in financial management, client focus and other basic rudiments of business to be injected into this project to ensure it achieves the intended objectives.
