The Second Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Matilda Asante-Asiedu, has called on financial institutions to stop treating women entrepreneurs as a group that needs charity and instead see them as a strong and profitable market segment.
She explained that women-led businesses have consistently shown good repayment records and smart investment decisions, making them dependable customers for banks and other lenders.
Speaking at the 2026 Ghana Female CEOs Summit, Mrs. Asante-Asiedu encouraged banks and financial institutions to create financial products tailored to women entrepreneurs to help improve their access to credit.
She noted that studies and industry data continue to show that women entrepreneurs record lower loan default rates than many other customer groups.
“So to the financial institutions, stop treating women entrepreneurs as a charitable constituency and start treating them as the most commercially compelling segment,” she stated.
Drawing from her experience in commercial banking, she stressed that available data supports the need for greater lending to women-led businesses.
“The women repay better, they invest more, they build wisely and they build resilient enterprises,” she added.
Mrs. Asante-Asiedu also urged banks to review the high-risk premiums often attached to loans given to women entrepreneurs.
She explained that customers who consistently repay loans and reinvest funds into their businesses deserve better pricing and loan conditions.
“In banking, apart from the Ghana reference rate, we add what we call the risk premium. But if you have a customer who repays consistently and invests the money back into the business, then giving them the right price means your business will continue to thrive,” she noted.
The Second Deputy Governor further highlighted the wider economic benefits of supporting women-owned businesses, saying that empowering women entrepreneurs can improve household livelihoods and drive national economic growth.
