ECA, Gender Ministry Push For Gender-Responsive Budgeting To Close Financial Inclusion Gap For Women

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection are pushing for gender-responsive budgeting to close the financial inclusion gap for women in Ghana.

The push was made during a technical consultation organised by the ECA in collaboration with the Ministry, which brought together stakeholders from government institutions, financial sector organisations, civil society and development partners to discuss strategies to strengthen women’s financial inclusion and integrate gender perspectives into Ghana’s fiscal policies.

Speaking on behalf of the Chief Director, the Director of the Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate, Mrs Florence Ayisi Quartey welcomed the ECA delegation and participants.

She expressed appreciation for the engagement, noting that it provided an opportunity to exchange experiences, assess existing policies and identify ways to strengthen initiatives aimed at promoting gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.

She also highlighted the importance of learning from the ECA team’s expertise to improve the implementation and impact of policies and programmes that support women’s participation in economic activities.

The ECA team explained that the mission sought to gain a clearer understanding of Ghana’s existing financial inclusion systems and identify practical tools to monitor progress and strengthen institutional capacity.

The team emphasised that financial inclusion strategies must respond to the diverse needs of women, including young women, entrepreneurs and those facing difficult circumstances.

The consultation also examined the relationship between gender-responsive fiscal policies and women’s access to financial services. Discussions focused on identifying barriers to financial inclusion, reviewing existing policies and strategies and exploring opportunities to make financial sector initiatives more responsive to the needs of women.

The engagement forms part of ECA’s scoping mission on integrating a gender perspective into fiscal policies and financial inclusion strategies in Ghana.

The mission is expected to produce a comprehensive assessment identifying opportunities for gender responsive budgeting, improved financial inclusion and targeted technical assistance.

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