Stakeholders Urge Capital Access for Entrepreneurs With Disabilities

Gotham Business Consult has called on policymakers and financial institutions to improve access to capital for entrepreneurs with disabilities to enable them to establish and expand their businesses. The company said although policies might exist to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in economic activities, their implementation remained a concern. The call was made by the convener of the Gotham Business Series, Ms Joy Preston, at the Empower Ability Business Seminar organised by Gotham Business Consult in partnership with Empower Ability Org in Accra on Saturday. The event was held under the theme, "SMEs at the Centre". She said the seminar sought to bridge the gap between policymakers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by discussing challenges confronting entrepreneurs with disabilities and improving their access to business support. Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn Ms Preston attributed the limited access to capital among some PWDs to public ignorance, negative traditional perceptions and a lack of awareness about available funding opportunities. She stressed that disability should not prevent people from establishing or expanding businesses, adding that entrepreneurs with disabilities had the potential to contribute meaningfully to economic development. The Director of the Legal Division of the Ghana Investment Promotion Authority (GIPA), Ms Naa Lamle Orleans-Lindsay, stated that the authority was working to make its services accessible to entrepreneurs with disabilities and provide tailored assistance to support their businesses. She said SMEs accounted for about 90 per cent of entrepreneurs in Ghana, making it important to ensure that persons with disabilities were included in efforts to promote business growth. Ms Orleans-Lindsay explained that GIPA connected entrepreneurs to potential financiers, including banks, fund managers and angel investors. She said the authority assessed entrepreneurs' business plans and financing needs before identifying suitable funding opportunities. Ms Orleans-Lindsay encouraged persons with disabilities seeking financial assistance to approach the authority for support. She acknowledged that more needed to be done to improve the business environment for PWDs and reaffirmed GIPA's commitment to working with stakeholders to address existing challenges. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later. Meanwhile, the Executive Director and Head of Innovations and Digital Inclusion at Empower Ability Org, Mr Joseph Lawrence Hammond, called for stronger collaboration among government agencies, businesses, technology developers and civil society organisations to create an inclusive business environment. He said accessible digital platforms, including e-commerce and financial technology services, would enable entrepreneurs with disabilities to reach wider markets and expand their businesses. Mr Hammond urged society to move beyond treating disability inclusion as charity or corporate social responsibility and recognise it as a driver of economic empowerment and wealth creation. He stated that many digital platforms remained difficult for persons with visual and hearing impairments to navigate, limiting their access to business opportunities. Mr Hammond noted that Empower Ability was developing an online platform, Ability Market, to showcase businesses owned by persons with disabilities and connect them with potential customers. Read the original article on Ghanaian Times . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and vie