The WERise Network held its 2026 Annual General Meeting and Regional Fora yesterday at the CalBank PLC Auditorium in Accra. The gathering drew a large turnout of women entrepreneurs, development partners, financial institutions and ecosystem stakeholders from across the country.
Under the theme “Rise & Scale: Celebrating Growth, Building Revenue & Creating Jobs,” the event reviewed the network’s 2025 performance and outlined priorities for the coming year.
Chief Executive Officer Eunice Dewi Adjei urged members to move beyond survival to sustained growth. “Rising is beautiful. But rising is not enough,” she said. “What changes a life, a family, a region, is the power to scale: to grow, to build revenue, to create jobs. That is the work of WERise, and this past year, the evidence is undeniable.”
Adjei reported that in 2025, WERise reached 7,959 women and youth across 12 regions, 70 percent of them young women, and formalised 3,632 women‑owned businesses. She highlighted the Yenze Ghana Mall as the place “where rise becomes scale.” Vendor sales there have reached GH¢2,146,691 year‑to‑date, more than double last year’s figure of over GH¢1 million. The mall now hosts more than 300 active vendors and 2,000 made‑in‑Ghana products, and through the BizBox Project it has created 147 jobs paying an average of GH¢1,000 a month.
On digital skills, Adjei noted that the DigiVibe programme has trained 209 women‑led businesses in hands‑on digital labs in Accra and Kumasi. DigiVibe is delivered with the AFOS Foundation, the Association of Ghana Startups and Women’s Haven. So far, 22 vendors have been onboarded onto the MojoPay e‑commerce platform, and 155 young women have been screened for ICT placements under TechServe.
A speech was read on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), Margaret “Magoo” Ansei. She commended members on their progress and encouraged them to keep moving forward, building on the momentum achieved. She reaffirmed GEA’s commitment, as the founding institution of WERise, to supporting women‑led enterprises through policy, capacity building and access to finance.
A highlight of the afternoon Regional Fora was a special presentation by Ms. Cynthia Torto, a Global Brand Consultant and Strategic Marketing Leader. She spoke on “Building Sustainable Brands for SME Growth.” Drawing on two decades of international experience in brand strategy and communications, Ms. Torto urged entrepreneurs to treat their brand as a growth asset rather than an afterthought, showing how a clear identity, a consistent customer experience and compelling storytelling can help small businesses command better prices, win customer loyalty and move into bigger markets.
The AGM was supported by the Mastercard Foundation (lead funder, through the BizBox Project), CalBank PLC (AGM sponsor and host), the Ghana Enterprises Agency, AfroSphere and other partners. The week‑long programme continues with an exhibition at Yenze Ghana Mall and Akunapod from 29 September to 4 October. Masterclasses on financial literacy, AI and digital tools, and business management will run at Akuna Pod from 30 September.
Looking ahead, WERise Network plans to deepen its reach, expand digital training, and strengthen linkages between women entrepreneurs and financial institutions to accelerate scaling and job creation across Ghana.
