More Ghanaian women are joining the workforce, but the majority remain confined to low paying, informal jobs that offer minimal prospects for career advancement, according to World Bank officials speaking at a policy workshop in Accra on November 12, 2025.
Robert Taliercio, World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, raised these concerns during the Women and Jobs in Africa Policy Research Workshop. The event was jointly organized by the University of Ghana, Legon, the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET), and the World Bank’s Center for Research on Women and Jobs in Africa.
Women participate actively in Ghana’s economy, yet most engage in informal trading, small scale family farming, and low profit self employment ventures. These occupations generate income but lack security, structured training opportunities, or pathways for professional growth that could improve earning potential over time.
Men dominate better compensated positions in sectors like construction, technology, and business services. This disparity creates a persistent wage gap that perpetuates economic inequality between genders despite women’s substantial contributions to the national economy.
Taliercio emphasized that the problem extends beyond employment rates. Women are working hard, often putting in long hours, but their efforts keep them at the same income level year after year without meaningful financial progress or skill development.
Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi, President and Chief Executive Officer of ACET, highlighted the frustratingly slow pace of change despite overwhelming evidence demonstrating the economic benefits of women’s full participation. Women remain overrepresented in the informal sector while being underrepresented in leadership positions and innovation driven industries.
Young women encounter even steeper obstacles than their older counterparts. They face worse job prospects, fewer opportunities for meaningful employment, and severely limited advancement paths that could lead to higher income brackets or professional development.
“For too long, economics and policymaking have been treated as gender neutral,” Owusu-Gyamfi stated during her presentation. “Neutrality doesn’t work when women and men don’t start from a level playing field. That’s why we must be intentional, embedding gender into the heart of policy design and implementation.”
ACET’s Gender Equality Programme was established to ensure gender considerations become central to economic policymaking rather than an afterthought. The initiative collaborates with governments to integrate gender analysis throughout every policy stage, eliminate systemic barriers affecting women, and promote evidence based action through strategic partnerships and advocacy efforts.
Agriculture and agribusiness sectors hold significant potential for improving women’s economic outcomes, according to Taliercio. Women already perform major roles in farming operations, food processing activities, and market distribution networks across Ghana’s rural and urban areas.
Improved access to quality seeds, financial services, irrigation infrastructure, and stronger connections to buyers and processors could transform these activities into higher earning, more stable employment opportunities. Agribusiness represents one of the sectors most capable of generating jobs quickly, particularly for young women entering the labor market.
Taliercio outlined several practical steps that could facilitate women’s transition into better quality employment. These include expanding credit access for women led businesses, strengthening vocational and technical skills training programs, investing in rural infrastructure to reduce market access barriers, and helping young women successfully transition from educational institutions into productive work environments.
Supporting women’s movement from survival level work into productive, higher skilled positions is essential for Ghana’s long term economic development. The country’s youth population continues rising, and many entering the job market will be women seeking meaningful employment opportunities.
Improving job quality for women carries importance beyond fairness considerations. When women earn more, families invest greater amounts in education, nutrition, and healthcare for children. These investments create positive ripple effects that strengthen entire communities and contribute to broader economic growth.
“If Ghana creates better job opportunities for women, the gains will be shared across households, communities and the whole economy,” Taliercio explained. His comments underscore the multiplier effect that women’s economic empowerment generates throughout society.
The workshop brought together policymakers, researchers, and development practitioners to examine evidence based strategies for closing gender gaps in employment. Participants discussed concrete policy interventions that could accelerate progress toward equitable economic participation for Ghanaian women.