Women Entrepreneurs’ Transformation Program (WETP)
The GCIC is a unique business incubator in Ghana in that it has a specific and directed program for women entrepreneurs in the green economy.
While we provide comprehensive support to both male and female entrepreneurs through business advisory services, capacity building, and financial grants, our Women Entrepreneurs Transformation Program® (WETP) is specifically designed to address the gender gap in business advisory services. WETP aims to empower women entrepreneurs and elevate their voices in the business sector.
At GCIC, we are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where both male and female-led climate-smart SMEs can actively, fairly, and equitably participate in the business sector.
Purpose of The Program
One of the key impacts that the program seeks is to support women to lead from the inside out, so that they are enabled to lead their businesses purposefully, authentically, and consciously, and ultimately have an impact on the transformation of Ghana’s economy, and especially the green economy. Ultimately, WETP ensures:
- A supportive ecosystem for women in leadership positions.
- Shift limiting mindsets and consciousness of female entrepreneurs.
- Help women entrepreneurs overcome the challenges they face in running their businesses and in their daily lives.
- Empower women to lead.
Through the Women Entrepreneurs Transformation Programme® , GCIC responds to the unique challenges faced by women entrepreneurs, such as:
- Struggles with achieving work/life balance “How do I successfully manage my home and family responsibilities, lead my business successfully, and find time for myself? There are only so many hours in a day, and I am struggling. How do other women do it? What am I not getting right? Help!”
- Self-awareness and acknowledgement of the technical and or business skills they have, those that they lack, and a willingness and a desire to improve and access those skills.
- Female role models While women have previously lacked female role models, the opportunity to match successful businesswomen with entrepreneurs is ever-expanding. Some women may wrongly feel incapable: “Am I just wasting my time trying to do what is unachievable?” Through WETP, we awaken them to the realisation that they themselves are role models.
- Mentorship Women entrepreneurs express a strong desire to access ongoing mentorship from successful female business leaders.
- Access to Finance While female entrepreneurs have proven excellent creditworthiness in micro-finance lending, they struggle to access finance as SME owners. This situation will change with the appropriate financial products and services. Through our proof of concept (PoC) grants and technology and product development support grants, our women entrepreneurs have access to financing.
The Women's CEO Academy and the Commercial Acumen Academy
Our Women Entrepreneurs Transformation Program® has been scaled and deepened to include two new elements: the CEO Academy and the Commercial Acumen Academy. The programs for both academies will support women to better understand gender-related barriers to accessing financing, build their capacity to successfully finance their growing business; as well as deliver seminars on evidence-based performance gaps found in women-led enterprises, focusing on how women entrepreneurs can redress these in their business management and operational practices.
To support our male entrepreneurs, the WETP has also been scaled to include and host awareness raising sessions with male business owners, so they are aware of issues that women business owners face, better understand gender barriers, and their own roles in championing equality in business.
