As part of our initiatives to redefine female entrepreneurship on the continent, the WestlionCo Female Entrepreneurs Community is prioritizing planned industrial visits to key companies that remain entrepreneurial catalysts to start-up growth.
Gifty Boatemaa Annan
Co-founder & CEO, WestlionCo
The WestlionCo Female Entrepreneurs Community embarked on yet another enriching visit.
It was somewhat a big deal for our community members to pay an industrial visit to the Ghana Export Promotion Authority – A state organization with the mandate to develop, facilitate and promote Ghanaian exports.
As a community with an exclusive mandate to equip female entrepreneurs to scale beyond their operational base (home countries), it was obvious that a visit to GEPA with Ghanaian female entrepreneurs was imminent.
Based on the soothing directives of Dr. Afua Asabea Asare, Chief Executive Officer of GEPA, we were ushered in by Stephanie, her personal assistant for a brief waiting period. Members of the community took the chance to interact amongst themselves while admiring GEPA’s beautiful space.
A rare privilege it was to have Mrs. Ruth Maafo, Director of Public Relations to serve as our special tour guide within the GEPA Impact Hub. Her insights and knowledge of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority and the GEPA Impact Hub were truly impressive.
GEPA provides Ghanaian exporters with technical assistance to penetrate both new and existing markets. They execute this charge by making available timely trade information and by initiating and implementing interventions to improve the supply of export products to meet buyer demands.
In 2021, GEPA launched the GEPA Impact Hub, a state-of-the-art, technology-driven export trade information center. Located at the 9th floor of the Africa Trade House, the hub is set to provide up-to-date and relevant trade information to the Ghanaian exporter community, export sector stakeholder institutions, trade and economic researchers and the general public.
The GEPA Impact Hub is well-resourced with computers, dedicated online resources, printed trade publications compendiums and a physical library. The Hub also boasts of limited conferencing facilities and B2B syndicated rooms for the use of SMEs requiring these services.
One of the highlights of our visit was the joy of seeing well-packaged Ghanaian products beautifully shelved on display. Having been told these products are in high demand in various parts of the world, sparks of possibilities stroke the entrepreneurial chords of our female entrepreneurs.
One distinct feature of the GEPA Impact Hub is the presence of three key stakeholder Government agencies i.e. the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and the Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate (PPRSD) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Under Ruth’s watch, we had a spectacle of each agency’s dedicated desk in the hub.
We were also joined by Mrs. Agnes Gifty Adjei-Sam, Director of Marketing & Promotions, who disclosed information about the GEPA Export School. She mentioned that the school is a strategy adopted to build and expand the required human capital for the export industry.
She encouraged our community members to to take full advantage of export trade information resources and other tools available within the hub’s conducive and deluxe business environment at no cost.
Networking
Our female community engaged with one another to build valuable connections beyond the visit.
Notes of Appreciation
We want to express our utmost appreciation to Dr. Afua Asabea Asare, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export Promotion Authority for opening her doors to the WestlionCo Female Entrepreneurs Community.
We are as well grateful to Mrs. Ruth Maafo and Mrs. Agnes Gifty Adjei-Sam, Director of Public Relations and Marketing & Promotions respectively, for giving us an awe-inspiring & enriching experience at the GEPA Impact Hub.
About WeFEC
WestlionCo Female Entrepreneurs Community (WeFEC) is a gender-inclusive network of resilient female entrepreneurs across Africa curated by WestlionCo under the Women Entrepreneurship Program.
WeFEC aims at empowering female-led businesses and female entrepreneurs with functional knowledge, entrepreneurial skills, exposure and resources to surmount start-up challenges to run, grow and sustain lucrative businesses in Africa.
You can join our community today!
