First lady Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo has charged all institutions to ensure women are well represented on boards, adding, the best performing companies in the country tend to have more gender-balanced representation on boards.

She has in that regard asked companies to offer opportunities that will see more female staff in higher ranks.

The First Lady who spoke at the launch of ‘Women in Business’ by the Association of Ghana Industries today September 11, in Accra, established that women in managerial places are more cooperative, conscious and understanding when occupying such positions.

Mrs Akufo-Addo however, identified lack of education, finance and entrepreneurial opportunities as reasons for the decline in business ownership among women and has advised stakeholders to create policies that will aid them own businesses as women are the mainstay of economic growth in Africa.

“There are far too few women in the boardroom. The whole world knows what women bring to the table. Businesses who have women in positions increase profitability and promote and environment that is both creative and innovative. Companies with female leaderships tend to do better in all respects. Firms with more women at the top are more focused on a better environmental stewardship, social responsibility and stronger governance”. She added

Meanwhile the Association of Ghana Industries has launched the ‘Women in Business’ chapter which seeks to carry out proactive support services to contribute to the growth and development of the Ghanaian industry.

The group is also aimed at empowering women in Ghana and across Africa to be more entrepreneurial.