Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, running mate of Mr. John Dramani Mahama, the Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has asked women, particularly traders, to be patient with their husbands who are unable to provide funding to support their businesses, saying the deteriorated economic situation is to blame for that predicament.

“Most of the time, when you are unable to get credit from financial institutions to support your trade, you turn to your husbands for help, but they cannot help because they are either out of jobs or their businesses are not doing well due to the economic difficulties in the country.

“Be patient with them because it is not their fault. The poor economic management has created all this hardship,” she said.

Addressing market women in Dunkwa Mfoum in the Central Region as part of her tour of the region, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said the NDC has taken cognizance of the hardship facing Ghanaians, especially traders and small-scale enterprises, and has developed measures to effectively address the challenge of poor access to credit and the high cost of doing business.

In that regard, she said the next NDC government would introduce the Women’s Development Bank to facilitate effective access to credit without any hindrances such as collateral and high interest rates.

According to her, the Women’s Development Bank is one of the many interventions that the next NDC administration would roll out to enhance the lot of women in Ghana. More than one million women are expected to benefit from easy access to loans from the Women’s Development Bank, she said.

But she reminded them that the plans can only materialize when women vote to ensure that the NDC regains power to implement that vision.

“When women get access to funding to grow their businesses, it will positively affect men, children, and households,” she said.

She also commented on the exorbitant cost of food items, which has led to dwindling patronage for traders in markets across the country, reminding the market traders that they have an opportunity to change the situation.

“You have the opportunity to vote for change,” she said.

From Dunkwa, the NDC running mate moved to Assin Central, where she addressed a community durbar to explain the party’s vision and plans for the area.