The Board Chairman of Standard Chartered Bank Ghana PLC, Dr. Emmanuel Kumah has reiterated his outfit remains committed to empowering Ghanaian entrepreneurs through digitalisation.
He said this on day two of the 2022 Digital Banking, Innovation, and Fintech Festival by Standard Chartered Bank PLC held in Accra.
The much-anticipated festival kicked off on Wednesday, October 26, bringing together industry players, seasoned experts, and practical Fintech innovators from Africa, Singapore, and other parts of Asia.
The two-day event is a platform to showcase, engage, strategize, and discuss best approaches and policies as the continent moves towards a future-proof and dynamic digitised financial ecosystem.
Delivering a welcome address on day two on Thursday, Dr. Emmanuel Kumah disclosed that it has been specially dedicated to women in technology and young innovators.
He explained that the decision to make the dedication to women is significant because female entrepreneurs face many obstacles and structural inequities and inequalities which prevent them from scaling their businesses.
He said with Ghana having one of the highest rates of women-owned enterprises in the world, StanChart believes that a session specifically put together with a focus on women will provide the insights and opportunities for female techpreneurs looking to grow their businesses to foster a stronger and more dynamic startups echo system in Ghana and beyond.
Dr. Emmanuel Kumah stressed that with that in mind, Standard Chartered Bank PLC will continue to pave way for women entrepreneurs in the country to be empowered to benefit from the enormous benefits of using technology.
“We at StanChart will continue to chart a journey towards digitisation and self-disruption in Africa while making it a priority to harness technology and the same time champion the next generation of entrepreneurs in Ghana and I dare say in Africa at large,” the Standard Chartered Bank Ghana PLC Board Chairman assured.
Delivering a speech at Thursday’s session on Tech, Gender, and Economic growth, British High Commissioner for Ghana, Harriet Thompson said while Tech offers enormous opportunities to unlock Africa’s economic growth, it will only be possible if women are included in that journey.
She emphasised that there is a need for women-led businesses to leverage the importance of technology to harness their benefits.
She also noted that supporting women-owned businesses is important to economic development.
“We all have a role to play. These technologies need to be made accessible, the right education and sensitization should be given to ensure that even women in the remotest part of the country have the chance to enrich their businesses and contribute more to economic growth,” Harriet Thompson.
To conclude her remarks, the British High Commissioner for Ghana expressed appreciation to Standard Chartered Bank PLC for putting together the Programme, adding that its benefits will be enormous in years to come.
She also commended the government of Ghana for investing in digitalisation. She indicated that the country is on the right path to realising the full benefits of the digital economy.
Among many things, the second edition of the Fintech Festival organised by Standard Chartered Ghana PLC for the two days highlighted opportunities available to Africa in the fintech space and how financial business models are enabling inclusive access to financial services across diverse product types for consumers.
The event brought together stakeholders in the fintech community to connect, collaborate and engage on issues relating to digitization, policy, innovation, and technology within the financial sector, is organized in collaboration with SC Ventures (Innovation and Fintech Investment Unit of Standard Chartered).
