The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has organized an economic empowerment summit for women in the informal sector in the metropolis.

The summit which was organised by the AMA in collaboration with Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO), United Bank for Africa (UBA), and Glitz Africa sought to among other things equip the women mostly street vendors, market traders, waste pickers, with the knowledge to enhance their skills and entrepreneurship abilities as well as improve their financial status and overall well-being.

The attendees numbering about 500 were taken through topics including the impact of COVID-19 on the informal economy and strategies to build resilience, starting a business, partnerships in women’s economic empowerment, financial literacy, and women’s health among others.

Speakers at the summit included the Mayor of Accra, Hon Elisabeth K.T Sackey; Founder of Nyonyo Essentials, Mrs. Chichi Yakubu; Founder of Glitz Africa and UNFPA Ambassador, Mrs. Claudia Lumor; Branch Manager, UBA, Ms. Josephine Amo-Asare; Metro Health Director: Dr Abena Okoh.

Mayor of Accra, Hon Elizabeth K.T Sackey in a keynote address said the experience had shown that improving women’s economic opportunities and access to productive resources impacted their overall social status and societies emphasizing that “Women’s economic empowerment and financial inclusion have been recognized as key to achieving the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development.”

She said despite several women-owned businesses and institutions, a significant number of them are still unemployed whiles others also suffer from financial and business challenges.

She mentioned that the AMA through its social welfare department had rolled out several interventions to improve the well-being of women and the vulnerable in communities.

She disclosed that the Assembly was working with Wiego, a global network dedicated to improving the working conditions of the working poor especially women in the informal economy to “revamp and renovate some Day Care Centers in the markets,” the Mayors Migration Council to “effectively integrate informal waste pickers including women into the Waste Management system in the Assembly” and support them with resources and training as well as “registering women on the National Health Insurance Scheme to ensure equal access to healthcare.”

Metro Director of Health, Dr Abena Okoh, in her presentation enlightened the women on their general well-being, reproductive health, family planning, and sexually transmitted diseases.

She said the drugs women take predispose them to hypertension and diabetes.

“The rate of hypertension and diabetes among women in the metropolis were on the increase based on studies from 2013-2022 and this could be due to the drugs women take which leads to hormonal changes, ” she said.

She used the opportunity to encourage women to frequently visit health facilities in the metropolis and beyond to be screened.

Mrs Josephine Amo-Asare of the UBA Bank who took the women through financial literacy, noted that cash flow and control management were essential to the survival and expansion of businesses.

She urged the women to ask for help from experts while showing high integrity that would help their businesses to grow and support others too.