Sanaa:President John Dramani Mahama and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands met to discuss improving financial access for women in Ghana. The meeting, held during the 81st United Nations General Assembly, focused on enhancing women's ability to secure loans and other financial services to start and grow their businesses.
According to Ghana Web, Queen Máxima, in her role as the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development, emphasized the importance of improving access to financial services for women and underserved groups. Despite progress in Ghana, many women still face challenges in obtaining sufficient credit.
Recent data shows that women and women-owned businesses accounted for 82.8% of secured credit transactions in Ghana's second quarter of 2026. However, they received only GHS3.1 billion in loans compared to GHS19.4 billion for men and male-owned businesses, illustrating a significant disparity in financing.
Despite improvements, with 78.3% of Ghanaian women aged 15 and above having a bank or mobile money account in 2024 compared to 27.1% in 2011, women still face hurdles in accessing financial services. The figure for women remains below the 84.4% recorded among men, highlighting ongoing barriers.
The meeting also highlighted the proposed Women's Bank, aiming to facilitate financing for women. Other areas of focus include reducing loan costs, easing lending requirements, and providing long-term financial support for women-owned businesses.
Queen Máxima continues to advocate for financial systems that enhance women's access to financing and opportunities. The meeting with President Mahama has sparked renewed calls for stronger financial support to enable women to contribute more significantly to Ghana's economic growth.