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WDB is preparing to open. Operations are expected to begin in 2027.
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Who we serve

Built for women whose businesses keep communities running

WDB's focus is women entrepreneurs and traders who have traditionally been left out of banking, in markets, on farms, in fishing communities and in small firms across Ghana.

A market trader sits beside her stock of plantain, yam and vegetables.

The women and businesses WDB is designed for

  • A trader arranges bundles of fresh vegetables at her market stall in Ghana.
    01

    Women entrepreneurs and market traders

    Traders in markets in towns and communities across Ghana. Their businesses turn over stock every day, but daily earnings rarely match the paperwork banks ask for.

    For example: a trader selling vegetables, fabric or provisions from a market stall.

  • A fruit seller serves a slice of watermelon at her stall in Ajumako, Ghana.
    02

    Informal women-owned businesses

    Women running businesses that are not formally registered. WDB's approach is designed to recognise a working business even without formal records.

    For example: a food vendor, a seamstress working from home or a roadside seller.

  • A farmer harvests maize in her field.
    03

    Rural smallholder women farmers

    Women farming small plots of land in rural areas, whose income arrives with the harvest rather than every month.

    For example: a farmer growing maize, cassava or vegetables for local markets.

  • A fish seller arranges smoked fish in a basin at her market stall.
    04

    Fisherwomen and women in fishing communities

    Women who process, smoke and sell fish, and whose trade depends on the season and the catch.

    For example: a fish processor or fishmonger buying from the landing beach to sell at market.

  • A fabric trader sits beside shelves of kente and wax-print cloth at Makola Market, Accra.
    05

    Women-owned registered small businesses

    Women-owned small firms that are formally registered but have still struggled to get bank services.

    For example: a small shop, a processing business or a tailoring workshop with employees.

  • A woman carries a basin of shea nuts on her head, with her child on her back.
    06

    Businesses that have struggled to access formal banking

    Across all of these groups, the common thread is the same: viable businesses that formal finance was not designed around.

    For example: a business with steady customers but no land title or bank statements to show.

Women first

Open to businesses owned by women and men, with priority for women

WDB welcomes businesses owned by both women and men. Many family businesses are run by women and men together, and those businesses are welcome too. When it comes to providing support, priority will be given to women-owned businesses.

See how WDB plans to make finance easier to reach

Learn about alternative credit assessment, social collateral and the channels WDB plans to use.

How it worksPlanned services