Senior lecturer Dr Gloria Afful‑Mensah of the University of Ghana’s Department of Economics has called on the 2027 National Budget to provide a clear operational framework for the proposed Women’s Development Bank. She warned that the absence of an update in the 2026 mid‑year fiscal policy review raises doubts about the pace of implementation of a scheme aimed at expanding finance for women‑owned and women‑led businesses.
The bank is expected to offer low‑interest loans and other tailored financial services, with a target of economically empowering at least one million Ghanaian women. The government has recently applied to the Bank of Ghana for a licence to establish the institution, following concerns over delays.
Afful‑Mensah said the budget should spell out the bank’s structure, mandate and relationship with existing gender‑focused desks in commercial banks to avoid duplication. “It is only when you get to know the specifics with the Women’s Development Bank that we can learn from the failure of some of these initiatives to be able to correct them,” she said.
She also highlighted that Ghana’s 6.8% economic growth in Q1 2026 did not translate into equal opportunities for women, noting that growth in agriculture and services was driven by male‑dominated subsectors such as forestry, logging and food production. Negative growth in female‑dominated sectors like food, accommodation, education and health left many women behind.
Afful‑Mensah urged the budget to clarify the implementation of the 24‑hour economy model market initiative, stressing that it must account for unpaid care and domestic work largely shouldered by women. “The model market is supposed to incorporate issues that concern not just the economic activities of women, but also the unpaid care and domestic activities of women, so that they’ll be able to combine them efficiently,” she stated.
The comments were made during a sideline interview at the NETRIGHT Public Forum, which convened citizens and stakeholders to assess the 2026 Budget’s gender performance and recommend actions for 2027.
