The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export-Import Bank, Sylvester Adinam Mensah, has highlighted Africa’s strong record in female entrepreneurship, describing it as evidence of capacity, resilience and leadership among women on the continent.

Speaking at the 2026 Ghana Female CEOs Summit in Accra on Thursday, May 7, he noted that Africa records the highest rate of female entrepreneurs globally, with nearly one in four businesses owned or led by women.

“Africa has the highest rate of female entrepreneurs, and nearly one in four businesses on this continent is owned or led by a woman. This is not a coincidence; this is capacity, this is resilience, this is leadership,” he said.

Mr Mensah explained that the growing presence of women in business reflects their determination and ability to drive enterprise growth, despite structural constraints.

However, he expressed concern that many women continue to earn less and struggle to scale their businesses due to limited access to funding, markets and other critical opportunities.

"Despite these achievements, women-led businesses continue to earn significantly less than those owned by men, not due to lack of competence but due to unequal access. Access to finance, access to market, access to opportunity."

He called for stronger and more coordinated support systems to empower women-led enterprises across Africa, stressing that addressing these gaps is essential for inclusive economic development and sustainable growth on the continent.

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Africa leads in women's business but faces challenges with opportunity access - Sylvester Mensah

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