As part of our initiatives to redefine female entrepreneurship on the continent, the WestlionCo Female Entrepreneurs Community (WeFEC) is prioritizing planned industrial visits to key companies that remain entrepreneurial catalysts to start-up growth.
We embarked on our maiden industrial visit as a community on November 18, 2022. Competently spearheaded by Gifty Boatemaa Annan, Co-founder & CEO of WestlionCo who also doubles as the community lead.
It was such a humbling experience to take close to 20 female entrepreneurs (spanning diverse sectors; agriculture, technology, creative industry, health, and education) to the Ghana Commodity Exchange for the first time for the primary purpose of exposure.
Our 3-hour structured visit commenced at 9 am with warm pleasantries and a heartfelt welcome from Tucci’s Personal Assistant, Yaa Oforiwaa Obeng – who had been our chief contact right from the inception.
Having been ushered into an already prepared training room, we had barely settled when the ever-charming Mrs. Tucci Goka Ivowi made a spectacular appearance to welcome the visiting team. She was a pure delight to behold and her palpably powerful yet enchanting personality was felt by all.
Introductory Phase
The first 30 minutes was an introductory phase where all members of the community had the privilege to make known who they are to our host. Divergent responses depicted a strong community of female entrepreneurs with varied interests underpinned by a fiery desire for growth, relevance, and impact.
Information/Knowledge Sharing
The next hour was dedicated to knowledge sharing. The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Commodity Exchange, Mrs. Tucci Ivowi shared with us customized knowledge of the Exchange and its core impact on homegrown enterprises.
From the session, we understood that the key goal of GCX is to link Ghanaian smallholder farmers to agricultural and financial markets in Ghana and across the West Africa Region. This is fundamental in ensuring Ghana farmers secure competitive prices for their commodities, as well as supply good quality commodities that meet the nutritional needs of the Ghanaian people.
Commodity exchanges are critical drivers of economic development and transformation. Through the establishment of the national and regional commodity exchange and its supporting infrastructure, GCX aims to promote the commercialization of Ghana and West Africa’s agricultural sector, improve market access, increase market efficiency, and lower transaction costs.
We also learned about GCX’s business operations. They had two major wings; a trading platform powered by a provider Trading system, and warehouse storage operations linked to the exchange through an electronic warehouse receipt system (e-WRS), backed by collateral management services.
Q & A Session
We were afforded adequate time for questions and answers. Streams of questions flowed from every angle. These young ferocious entrepreneurs took the liberty to ask deep-seated questions relating to both life and business, work-life balance, fear of failure, etc.
The entire community was overwhelmed with gratitude and in awe of Tucci‘s humility and willingness to engage young entrepreneurs at all levels on any subject.
We were also joined by Jemimah Oppong-Gyamfi, Head of HR and Admin, who also contributed immensely to the day’s discussions.
Networking
Our visit would have lacked an essential ingredient without the final touch of networking, exchange of contacts, social media handles, and memorable up-close conversations.
Notes of Appreciation
Before we exited the official abode of our host company, Ghana Commodity Exchange, our community head, Gifty Boatemaa Annan on behalf of the entire community expressed our deepest gratitude for the pleasant experience we’ve had, the professional ease of coordination and all the knowledge dispensed at no cost.
Our visit to the Ghana Commodity Exchange was awe-inspiring and enriching in every way.
We are forever indebted to Mrs. Tucci Ivowi and her team for making our visit warm, insightful, and worthwhile.
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!
