Standard Chartered Bank Ghana PLC has welcomed 20 female-owned businesses into Cohort 3 of the Standard Chartered Women in Technology (SCWIT) Incubator programme.
After a rigorous pitch process, five outstanding participants will be awarded seed funding of US$10,000 equivalent in Ghana cedis to invest in their businesses.
The SCWIT speaks to the bank’s strategy of investing in female-owned businesses to bring greater prosperity and diversity to the communities in which they operate with an emphasis on supporting innovation, infrastructure, and technology.
Through this initiative, women entrepreneurs have a platform to build capacity and realize their full potential in the world of business.
The programme is implemented in partnership with the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre, an Ashesi University business incubator.
Delivering the keynote address, Ms. Winifred Kotin, CEO, of Eagle Innovations shared her experiences as an entrepreneur.
She said, “Successful entrepreneurs and enterprises are like the good foundation on which economies are built.”
She advised the women entrepreneurs to have a clear vision, define their ideal businesses and customers as well as think of mitigation strategies for potential challenges.
“Enjoy the journey to greatness and never stop innovating,” she added.
Welcoming the inductees, Kwame Asante, Head Transaction Banking, Standard Chartered Bank Ghana PLC, said, “We are committed to promoting economic and social development, doing so sustainably and equitably in line with our purpose, Driving commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity.
The SC WIT incubator aims to empower women-led start-ups and provide them with the necessary resources and support to take their businesses to the next level.”
Standard Chartered Bank Ghana PLC is Ghana’s premier bank established in 1896.
It is a leading international banking group, with a presence in 59 of the world’s most dynamic markets and serving clients in a further 64.
Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) is a pioneering business incubator with a unique focus on developing sustainable enterprises and climate-responsive SME ventures and entrepreneurs in Ghana.
Their mission is to develop and support an exceptional set of transformational ventures and entrepreneurs who are pioneering innovation and adaptive or mitigating solutions for economic resilience and climate change issues in Ghana.
They focus on key economic sectors, the provision of premium business advisory and business mentoring services, technical support in the development, prototyping, and testing of their innovation, as well as financial grants to qualifying SMEs within our incubator.