Stanchart, GCIC to support women led businesses with $150,000
Standard Chartered Bank Ghana & the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre at Ashesi University have partnered to support women-led or women-owned businesses in the technology sector with business incubation support and grants of over $150,000.
Through the SC Women in Tech Business Incubator programme, the two institutions are promoting diversity and inclusion in the technology sector by offering opportunities for women to develop entrepreneurial excellence and drive economic growth.
Commenting on the initiative, an Independent Non-Executive Director of Standard Chartered Bank Ghana Limited, Professor (Mrs) Akua Kuenyehia, said “the more technology these women utilise in their jobs, the more our economy will develop, the more we will be able to develop as a nation, and the more we will be able to develop our education, health systems etc.
“Technology is key, and for StanChart and Ashesi University to collaborate in developing a programme which targets women-led and women-owned businesses is really something to be applauded.’’
The SC Women in Tech Business Incubator is open to all women-led or women-owned tech firms or businesses applying technology in their operations. The program will run for a tenure of nine months.
To qualify into the program, applicants must be Ghanaian females above 18 years with equal or majority stake in the business. The Call for Applications for the first cohort officially closed on 28th December 2020.
Through a rigorous search and selection process, the first cohort of the programme will consist of 20 businesses selected and supported with a number of GCIC initiated advisory and business incubation interventions, including but not limited to: GCIC’s High-Value Mini MBA programme; GCIC’s celebrated Women Entrepreneurs Transformation Programme, bespoke one-to-one business advisory support from the Centre’s ‘venture builders’, and the opportunity to secure grants up to $10,000 for scaling up their business.
About GCIC
The Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC) is a pioneering business incubator with a unique focus of developing sustainable enterprises and climate-responsive SME ventures and entrepreneurs.
The Centre is an Institute of Ashesi University with a mission to develop and support an exceptional set of ethical, transformational entrepreneurs and ventures who are pioneering innovation and adaptive or mitigating solutions for economic resilience and climate action