The Federation of Associations of Ghanaian Exporters (FAGE) has partnered with Guzakuza, a women-focused agribusiness organisation, to launch a four-year initiative aimed at propelling women-led export businesses in Ghana.
The agreement, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), will see the rollout of WISE Exports 2.0, a programme designed to scale up 300 women-led and non-traditional export SMEs by 2029. The goal is to generate $15 million in cumulative export sales and create over 1,500 direct and indirect jobs.
Target sectors include cassava, moringa, cocoa, dried fruits, shea, baobab, coconut and fashion accessories, all with strong potential in international markets.
FAGE Chief Executive, Abdul-Karim Dubiure, added: “We are passionately committed to placing women at the forefront of Ghana’s export drive — marking a bold turning point for women-led initiatives that will transform lives and elevate livelihoods across the nation”.
The initiative brings together three key partners: FAGE, with its expertise in policy leadership, trade missions and export compliance; Guzakuza, known for training, mentoring and financing women-led agribusinesses; and BuyAfricaMade (BAM), which will provide an e-commerce and logistics platform to connect SMEs with global buyers.
WISE Exports 2.0 aims to tackle three major barriers for women entrepreneurs: insufficient export readiness, limited access to trade finance, and exclusion from global market systems. The programme will provide capacity-building, export certification, digital onboarding, international buyer engagement and gender-sensitive trade finance solutions.
According to Guzakuza founder Nana Adjoa Sefa, “Women entrepreneurs are powering Africa’s growth quietly — it’s time they got the systems and scale to go global. We’re proud to partner with FAGE on this bold initiative”
The project’s $3 million implementation budget will be sourced from strategic investors, development agencies, trade finance institutions and technical partners. It is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those promoting gender equality, decent work and industry innovation.
