Women entrepreneurs at the Africa Women Conference 2025 in Accra, Ghana, have identified inclusive governance, financial empowerment, and strategic innovation as essential drivers of sustainable development for the continent.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Toyin Lawal, President of TWP and 1000 Women in Religion for Global Peace, urged participants to move from diagnosing challenges to actively implementing solutions.
“Are we ready to stop admiring the problems and start preparing for solutions? Be ready to be part of this movement,” she charged.
Dr. Lawal highlighted Africa’s demographic advantage, noting that “although 60 percent of people under 25 are women, only 18.8 percent occupy leadership positions on the continent.”
She outlined three pillars needed to transform women’s participation in development;
- leveraging AI and digital data,
- promoting indigenous innovation, and
- strengthening inclusive governance.
“We are not vulnerable. We are powerful,” she said, calling on women to support one another through mentorship and collaboration.
“Take a sister by the hand and lead her right… Together we will go higher to push the agenda further,” Dr. Lawal said.
She also emphasised climate inclusion, resource management, and security as critical areas requiring women’s leadership.
Dr. Lawal called for bold investments in women and stronger global partnerships saying; “The future of this conference is not a promise—it is a project. Let us build the legacy starting now.”
A panel session on Innovating Finance: Women Redefining Accounting, Investment, Business and Financial Inclusion in Africa provided practical pathways for empowering women-led enterprises.
Investment Advisory Consultant Ms. Seyram Amakpah-Azasu noted that continental institutions like the African Development Bank are expanding initiatives to support women entrepreneurs.
Banking expert Mrs. Cassandra Dapaah urged financial institutions to adopt more flexible lending models, saying “collateral-heavy systems shut women out of opportunities.”
Technical Advisor, Mr. Dickson Assan proposed using diaspora remittances as alternative collateral to improve women’s access to capital, while Transformational Coach Dr. Jacqueline Mohair underscored the need for financial literacy and strategic business systems.
“We teach women to build structures, manage customers, and turn their ideas into multiple income streams,” she said.
Legal and Communications Expert, Dr. Tanya Wiley-Brown advocated for ecosystem-driven empowerment, encouraging women to take leadership roles within financial systems themselves.
“We don’t have to only ask for money—we can be the ones approving it,” she said, citing a women-led innovation park in North Carolina as a model Africa could replicate.
The panel concluded that scaling women-led enterprises requires a blend of institutional support, digital tools, cross-border partnerships, and strong capacity-building systems.
Participants left the conference energized to turn insights into action, reinforcing a continental blueprint for inclusive growth led by African women.