WERise Network holds 2026 annual meeting in Accra, with public exhibition running to 4 October

Pinned summary · as of 04:41

WERise Network, a Ghanaian community that backs women entrepreneurs, gathered members for its 2026 yearly general meeting and regional forums, hosted by CalBank PLC in its Accra auditorium. Female business owners, donors and lenders attended, and the theme was 'Rise & Scale'. The network's chief executive used the meeting to present what WERise says it achieved in 2025 and this year.

What we know

• The event was held in Accra at CalBank PLC's auditorium. Attendees included female business owners, partner agencies, banks and other support organisations, and the slogan for the day was 'Rise & Scale', pairing growth with revenue and job creation.
• The Mastercard Foundation was the lead funder of the meeting, through its BizBox Project, while CalBank PLC sponsored the event and hosted it.
• WERise chief executive Mrs Eunice Dewi Adjei urged members to go past mere survival and aim for lasting growth, telling them that simply getting ahead falls short of what the network is after.
• Mrs Adjei gave WERise's own 2025 numbers: the network reached 7,959 women and young people in 12 regions, 70% of them young women, and formalised 3,632 women-owned businesses. These are the organisation's self-reported figures, not audited results.
• She also reported project results for this year. Vendor sales at the Yenze Ghana Mall stand at GH₵2,146,691, against just over GH₵1 million last year, and she said the mall counts over 300 vendors trading and some 2,000 locally made items. The BizBox Project has created 147 jobs averaging GH₵1,000 a month.
• Under DigiVibe, she said, 209 women-led firms have received training in digital labs in Accra and Kumasi. She added that MojoPay's online marketplace has taken on 22 vendors and that TechServe has assessed 155 young women for technology job placements.
• The Ghana Enterprises Agency, through a speech read for its chief executive, Mrs Margaret 'Magoo' Ansei, restated its pledge to back women-led businesses through policy, training and access to finance, in its role as WERise's founding institution.
• Brand consultant Ms Cynthia Torto told entrepreneurs that a brand is a growth asset. She said a clear identity, a steady customer experience and good storytelling can help small firms win loyalty, earn better prices and reach larger markets.
• Members are displaying their products to the public at Yenze Ghana Mall and Akunapod between 29 September and 4 October, while masterclasses start at Akuna Pod the following day.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  WERise announced the full programme as running from 28 September to 4 October 2026. Happy Ghana reported that span and YFM Ghana repeated it, but Citi Newsroom gave only the exhibition dates, so the full span has not been confirmed elsewhere.
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  YFM Ghana said the masterclasses will cover financial literacy, artificial intelligence and digital tools, and business management. No other report has listed those topics.

Why it matters for Ghana

Small women-owned firms in Accra, Kumasi and other regions rely on training, buyers and finance to grow, and this week gives members a place to sell to the public and meet banks and funders. The job and sales numbers come from WERise itself, so members, partners and funders may want the underlying records before judging how far the programmes have reached.