Apply for She Builds
Tell us which pillar you want to start with and where you are in your business journey. We will point you in the right direction.
TRACK 3 - GROWTH TRACK - SCALE AND MARKET ACCESS
I'm a woman building a business. I want support that understands my reality.
For women entrepreneurs at any stage in tech, fashion, agriculture, or any sector who want a platform built with their challenges in mind.
Women-led businesses in Ghana face a specific set of challenges. Access to finance is harder. Networks are often built around spaces women were not designed into. The weight of caregiving sits alongside the weight of running a business. And too many programmes still treat women as a special-interest category rather than a primary audience.
Women-Led Enterprise is different. It is built around four things that women entrepreneurs in Ghana's Western Region consistently say they need: relevant skills, physical workspace and tools, a business community that reflects their experience, and access to financing that works for how their businesses and lives actually run.
You don't need to be in tech. You don't need to be in fashion. You don't need to be at any particular stage. You need to be a woman building something — and ready to build it with others who understand what that means.
Who this is for
Women-Led Enterprise is open to women entrepreneurs at any stage — from idea to established business — across any sector. What matters is that you are serious about building, and that you are ready to engage with the community and the resources the track offers.
There is no right stage to join. The track is structured to be useful whether you are just starting, have been operating for a year, or are an established business owner looking for the specific support this platform offers.
Good fit
Your business has operated for 12 months or more with consistent customers and revenue. You are ready to pursue investment, new markets, or both. You can commit to the programme over 4 months and are willing to share your financials with coaches and mentors
Not the right fit
You are still in the idea or early validation stage — the Launch Track is better suited. You don't yet have consistent revenue. You are not comfortable sharing financial information with programme coaches. You cannot commit to the 4-month schedule.
The four Pillars
Women-Led Enterprise is built around four pillars — each addressing a different aspect of what women entrepreneurs in Ghana's Western Region say they need. All four are available to track members. Most members engage with more than one over time
EWURABA - WOMEN IN TECH
Ewuraba equips women in Ghana’s Western Region with digital and technology skills — from basic digital tools to software development, UI/UX design, and tech entrepreneurship. The programme supports women who want to work in tech or use technology to grow businesses in fashion, food, agriculture, services, and more.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Digital skills and tools for business. Coding and web development. UI/UX and digital design. Social media and digital marketing. Tech entrepreneurship and product thinking.
WHO IT IS FOR
Women at any level of digital literacy from complete beginners to those who want to formalise and deepen existing skills. No prior tech experience required.
FORMAT
Cohort-based, with structured sessions, peer accountability, and mentorship from women working in tech and digital business.
FASHION WORKSPACE
The Duapa Fashion Workspace gives women in fashion — designers, dressmakers, tailors, and textile entrepreneurs — a professional space to learn, work, and grow their businesses. More than a sewing room, it provides the tools, training, and community needed to build fashion as both a skill and a business.
WHAT YOU GET ACCESS TO
Professional production equipment and industrial machines. Structured training in design, construction, and sustainable fashion practice. A peer community of women working across the fashion value chain. Business development coaching for fashion enterprises. A pathway into the circular fashion skills programme under the Ready Track.
WHO IT IS FOR
Women working in fashion, dressmaking, tailoring, textile design, or any part of the fashion production chain — at any skill level or business stage.
ACTIVATE
ACTIVATE is the entrepreneurship programme within Women-Led Enterprise, designed for women ready to formalise, structure, and grow their businesses. Through workshops, peer accountability, and coaching, the programme supports women transitioning from informal business into sustainable enterprise.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Business model development and validation. Pricing strategy and financial management. Marketing and customer development. Legal and business registration. Goal-setting and accountability systems
WHO IT IS FOR
Women who have a business idea they have started acting on, or an informal business they want to formalise and grow. No specific sector or stage requirement.
FORMAT
Cohort-based programme with group workshops, peer sessions, and one-on-one coaching throughout
BUSINESS SYSTEMS
The Women-Led Enterprise cooperative financing model helps women-led businesses access affordable loans through a shared savings and lending system designed around real business needs. Members build financial records over time, strengthening their ability to access larger financing opportunities in the future.
HOW IT WORKS
Regular member contributions form the cooperative fund. Members can access loans for business investment, equipment, stock, or working capital. Loan amounts, terms, and rates are agreed collectively and reviewed regularly. The cooperative is governed by its members.
WHO IT IS FOR
All Women-Led Enterprise track members. No minimum business stage required to join the cooperative.
How the track works
Women-Led Enterprise is not a single programme with a fixed start and end date. It is an ongoing platform with four entry points. You can join through any of the four pillars based on what is most relevant to your situation right now, and engage with other pillars as your needs develop.
All four pillars are available to track members. Most members engage with more than one over time. The track is designed to be a long-term home, not a one-time intervention. Where you start is less important than the fact that you start.
Your community
The Women-Led Enterprise community is built into the structure of every pillar — not added on as a side benefit. Cohort-based programmes mean you learn and build alongside women at the same stage. Peer accountability sessions create ongoing relationships that continue beyond the formal programme. Alumni from all four pillars stay connected through the Duapa Nest, the community layer that links founders across all of Duapa's tracks.
The Women-Led Enterprise community is built into the structure of every pillar — not added on as a side benefit. Cohort-based programmes mean you learn and build alongside women at the same stage. Peer accountability sessions create ongoing relationships that continue beyond the formal programme. Alumni from all four pillars stay connected through the Duapa Nest, the community layer that links founders across all of Duapa's tracks.
Mentorship
Track members are connected to women mentors who have built businesses, navigated finance, and worked in sectors relevant to the members they support. Mentorship is built into each pillar and continues through the Duapa Nest community.
Partner network
Duapa's partners include SNV Ghana, GIZ, Reach for Change, and MDF West Africa — organisations with active programmes targeting women entrepreneurs, women in tech, and women-led SMEs. Track members get structured access to relevant opportunities through these relationships.
WHAT YOU GET
- Access to all four pillars of the Women-Led Enterprise track
- Ewuraba digital and tech skills training in a women's cohort
- Fashion Workspace access with professional production equipment and training
- ACTIVATE entrepreneurship programme for formalising and growing your business
- Cooperative financing membership and access to business loans
- A peer community of women entrepreneurs across sectors and stages
- Mentorship from women who have built businesses before you
- Business development coaching and support across all pillars
- Access to Duapa's partner network — SNV Ghana, GIZ, Reach for Change, MDF West Africa
- Alumni membership in the Duapa Nest community
What success looks like
500+
women engaged across Women-Led Enterprise programmes since 2020
4
integrated pillars addressing skills, workspace, business, and finance
Any
sector — tech, fashion, agriculture, food, services, and more
The platform is built around a simple idea: when women have what they need to build, they build things that last. The businesses, cooperatives, and networks that come out of Women-Led Enterprise are evidence of that. Not because of charity, but because of access.
Before you apply
Ask yourself honestly
- Are you a woman entrepreneur, at any stage and in any sector?
- Are you ready to engage with a community of other women building businesses?
- Do you want skills, workspace, business support, or access to financing — or more than one of these?
- Can you commit to the pillar or pillars most relevant to your situation right now?
If yes, you are in the right place
