The British Council’s latest Report on Women Economic Empowerment has recommended to Government to ensure that funding and support available for social enterprises were effectively channelled and coordinated.
The Report, launched in Accra on Friday, urged Government to set up a Social Enterprise Task Force with a specific remit for considering gender equality and provide expertise and policy recommendations.
It is dubbed: “Activist to Entrepreneur: The Role of Social Enterprise in Supporting Women’s Empowerment in Ghana.”
It noted that this should draw not just on well-networked social entrepreneurs in Accra but also on those operating at the community level in different regions.
Mr Chikodi Onyemerela, the Director of Programmes at the British Council, who launched the 54-page Report, said Social Enterprise had provided a new way to think about Economics and Capital, from being completely driven by competition and consumption to embracing collaboration and compassion.
It sets out to establish how well social enterprise addresses gender inequality and women’s empowerment in Ghana.
The Report was based on monitoring organisations and initiatives that used entrepreneurial approach, generated at least 25 per cent of their income from trade, and prioritised social and environmental impact over profit(s).
Mr Onyemerela said the United Kingdom (UK) was recognised as a leader in promoting Social Enterprise movement across the world and that the Council drew on that expertise to promote the growth of Social Enterprise around the world and particularly in Ghana.
He noted that the UK’s programme in Social Enterprise promotes training, mentoring and investment opportunities for stakeholders and supports governments around the world to create the right kind of policies.
He said the British Council in Ghana had devoted a whole portfolio on the programme because of its importance and would continue to act as catalyst for the global movement.
Madam Kissy Agyeman-Togobo, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Songhai Advisory, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the report focused on empowering women through social enterprise.
Meanwhile, the British Council, in collaboration with the Global Entrepreneurship Network-Ghana, hosted a panel discussion on the topic: “Women Economic Empowerment through Social Enterprise: The Role of Government, Civil Society and the Private Sector.”
It aims to promote women in Social Enterprise to generate social good through sustainable business opportunities, while fostering economic inclusion for women.
The World Economic Forum ranks Ghana only 72nd out of 144 countries in terms of gender equality.
