OAWLI calls for support to boost women-led business exports

An organisation that supports businesses, Oxford Africa Women Leadership Institute (OAWLI), is urging for more women-led businesses to receive support to export their products to other countries.

OAWLI, according to Graphic Online, conducted research on women-led business export activities in the country and found that less than 20% of them had exported before.

The research report suggests that

Read full articlesome level of stratification is required to identify businesses that are export-ready and what they need to actually export for support as part of efforts to promote export in the country.

OAWLI indicated that "women-owned businesses will require the needed support" as the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, which contributes significantly to economic activities, is mostly made up of women (44%).

The Swiss Ambassador to Ghana, Simone Giger, is expected to launch the research data on March 5, 2021.

Data analysis from the research shows that only 31 out of 386 respondents (9%) have exported, with 13 of the 31 having no export certificates and nine having certificates from the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA).

This means that close to 50% of those who had exported before sent their items through family and friends.

The research also enquired if the 92% of respondents who had no export experience were aware of the required certifications needed to export in the future.

It revealed that only 20% (71 out of 355 respondents) were aware, and 78% (260 out of 355 respondents) were not remotely aware of the required certifications, with 6% (22 out of 355 respondents) unsure if they knew about the required certificates or not.

The research recommends that support should be provided with export certification from GEPA, Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD), the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), as more than 90% of the respondents had no export certification.

The data also shows that 58% (207 out of 235 respondents) of those with no export experience were well aware of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCTA), while 39% (139 out of 335 respondents) had no idea about it, and 3% (nine out of 395 respondents) were unsure of what AFCTA was.