Minority Criticises Women’s Development Bank Over Failure to Disburse Loans to Women

According to a report by Channel One News published on November 10, 2026, the Minority in Parliament has criticised the government over delays in operationalising the proposed Women’s Development Bank, arguing that not even GH¢1 has been disbursed to a woman since the initiative was announced.

The Minority’s criticism centres on the gap between the government’s financial commitments to the project and the absence of loans reaching the women entrepreneurs and traders the institution is expected to support.

The government allocated GH¢51.3 million as seed funding in the 2025 Budget and made a further allocation of GH¢401 million in the 2026 Budget to support financing for women-owned micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.

Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson subsequently announced that GH¢400 million had been deposited into an escrow account at the Bank of Ghana as the institution’s initial capital. However, the money is intended to support the establishment and licensing of the bank; it does not represent loans already disbursed to beneficiaries.

The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has previously questioned the pace of implementation, arguing that the government must demonstrate tangible results from its flagship programmes. He has also raised concerns about whether the funding provided would be sufficient to establish the bank and provide the working capital needed for its operations.

Meanwhile, the proposed institution has taken another step towards becoming operational. On November 10, Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang announced at the 15th Ghana Economic Forum in Accra that the committee responsible for establishing the bank had completed its work and submitted a banking licence application to the Bank of Ghana through the Ministry of Finance.

The application is now subject to regulatory consideration. The Bank of Ghana had earlier confirmed that it was conducting due diligence on the proposal and that the capital had been deposited in an escrow account pending the granting of a licence.

The Women’s Development Bank is intended to improve access to affordable financing for women-owned businesses, particularly market women and entrepreneurs in the informal sector.

The Minority’s concerns therefore highlight the need for the government to move beyond budgetary allocations and administrative preparations towards making the promised financial support accessible to Ghanaian women.

Source link: https://channelonenewsonline.com/2026/11/10/womens-development-bank-not-even-gh¢1-lent-to-a-single-woman-minority/

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