Standard Chartered took centre stage as the lead partner of the Women in Technology Conference at the 3i Africa Summit.
Opening the session, which was one of the most patronised during the summit, the Bank’s Chief Executive Officer, Mansa Nettey delivered an impactful keynote address highlighting the importance of investing in women-led innovation, underscoring the bank’s commitment to gender inclusivity and technological advancement.
She mentioned the rapid pace of technological evolution and its transformative impact on businesses and society emphasing Standard Chartered’s proactive approach in anticipating future trends and partnering with key stakeholders such as the Bank of Ghana and the Development Bank, Ghana, to support initiatives like the Women in Tech session.
“This special session, curated for Women in Technology, has been at the core of our socio-economic agenda and engagement with the communities in which we operate. We have always believed in the positive impact that empowering women can generate and remain committed to driving this inclusive agenda,” she stated.
She shared the inspiring story of Audrey, a graduate of Ashesi University and founder of Sabon Sake, an agricultural company focused on environmental regeneration and sustainable practices. Audrey’s journey from the Volta Region to founding a company dedicated to restoring degraded soils exemplifies the potential of women leveraging technology to drive significant societal and environmental change.
Despite such success stories, the CEO acknowledged the persistent challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, including funding gaps, discrimination, and cultural barriers. She stressed the importance of gender-lens investing, which incorporates gender equality and women’s empowerment into investment decisions.
“Sadly, for every Audrey, there’s a Dzifa, Akua or Adiza whose dream is being hindered because of the daunting challenge of funding and support especially for women-led businesses,” she remarked.
The Women in Tech (WiT) programme, she said, was launched by the bank in 2014, as one of its initiatives to address gender disparity in the tech sector by providing business management training, mentoring, and seed funding to female entrepreneurs. Initially launched in the United States, the programme has expanded to 13 markets, including nine in Africa and the Middle East.
In Ghana, the WiT programme has supported 54 female entrepreneurs since its inception in 2020, with 15 receiving seed funding. Mansa announced the commencement of the Fourth Cohort, marking the bank’s continued investment in female-led innovation. The programme’s impact is evident in the cumulative revenue of GHC2.7 million generated by the supported enterprises.
Ms. Nettey also highlighted specific examples of women-led innovations, such as Mubaraka’s Kodu Technology, which produces eco-friendly sanitary pads from banana and plantain fibres. This initiative addresses menstrual hygiene needs while promoting environmental sustainability and economic development in northern Ghana.
“Women-led tech businesses serve as a path to proper representation. Through networking and mentoring, young women seeing others just like them climbing the ladder will ask themselves, why not me?” Ms. Nettey concluded, urging the audience to imagine the ripple effect of increased investment in women-led innovation.
The WIT programme is part of Standard Chartered’s global initiative, Futuremakers, aimed at tackling inequality and promoting economic inclusion. Since its launch, the programme has supported over 1800 female-led start-ups across various markets, with 61 enterprises securing over US$25 million in funding.
