Project Update: Women in Business Workshop – Online Presence & Leadership

The 2026 Women In Business (WIB) mentorship program officially commenced its training workshops last week Wednesday at the Airport West Hotel in Accra. While the program pairs mentees with seasoned mentors, these group workshops ensure every participant masters the foundational pillars of business operations, with specific attention to: Branding and Market Positioning, Digital Presence and Visibility, and Financial Management & Bookkeeping.

This first workshop of the three-month mentorship journey was in high attendance by 16 out of 18 mentees, and the workshop focused on Online Presence, Leadership and Team Management. 

Online Presence

For an entrepreneur, having a strong digital footprint is essential for survival, credibility, and growth in the modern marketplace. As of 2026, research indicates that 76% of consumers look for a company’s online presence before visiting a physical location, and 69% of consumers are likely to visit a company in person after discovering it via a local search. Therefore, having a strong digital footprint is no longer optional; it is the gateway to business growth, increased sales, and positions businesses for partnerships, export opportunities and even access to finance. Hence, there is a need to equip these women-entrepreneurs with the knowledge and resources to be able to thrive in the marketplace. 

The session was facilitated by the expert team from CEO Africa: Susanne Roelofsen Afum (Managing Director and WIB Mentor), Agnes A. Anyawen (Business Advisor), and Mawuko Doe Govina (Communication and Partnerships). CEO Africa has expertise in venture building, business consulting and advisory, investment readiness support and manages the WE-POWER Fund.

From the previous WIB cohort, it was observed that only 8 out of 40 participants had utilised LinkedIn business accounts, and many of them either did not have social media accounts for their businesses or their accounts were inactive. Therefore, this year’s session was designed to be a hands-on implementation workshop. The facilitators guided participants through a step-by-step digital overhaul:

• LinkedIn Business: Every participant built/enhanced a  LinkedIn business page. The session ended in participants’ first official posts update, announcing their participation in the WIB 2026 cohort.
• WhatsApp Business: Participants were taught how to leverage the unique features of WhatsApp Business, including product catalogues, broadcast lists, and automated greeting messages to streamline customer service and expand their reach.
• AI Prompts & Content Creation: The team from CEO Africa introduced AI prompting formulas and frameworks to aid participants in the use of the technology in content creation, image design, drafting emails and answering business questions. Participants afterwards used the prompting frameworks to generate marketing flyers and build 30-day content calendars.
• Professional Branding Tools: The session covered professional email signatures and the use of Canva AI and Meta Business Suite for cohesive brand management across platforms.

So imagine a room full of women on their laptops, with facilitators moving from one desk to another, instructing them in creating LinkedIn business accounts, making their first LinkedIn posts, generating flyers and social media content calendars using Artificial Intelligence tools, and creating email signatures for their businesses. 

Leadership and Team Management

Dr. Florence Teiko Vanderpuye of Rosh Pinnah Ventures, a social enterprise focused on women’s empowerment, and who also doubles as a WIB mentor, facilitated the second session of the workshop. She presented on Leadership and Team Management: The Heart of Leadership and laid emphasis on emotional intelligence, self-awareness, effective leadership, and team dynamics using practical activities and vivid illustrations.

She opened with an icebreaker to demonstrate the weight of leadership. She called four women forward and assigned them roles: CEO, Operations Manager, Finance Manager, and Sales Manager. Each was given either a hat or an umbrella, and they were then asked to stand under the umbrella of the CEO, who had the biggest umbrella. Dr. Florence explained that CEOs often feel exhausted because they personally perform the responsibilities of every department. She noted that while starting a business is the hardest risk, it is also the most rewarding journey because the entrepreneur chooses to create value for themselves, employment for others and social impact.

Practical Activities: The session included three key exercises to drive home the principles of emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and team dynamics:

• Leadership Personalities: Participants categorised themselves as Doers, Feelers, or Thinkers to understand their dominant natural management styles. After this, they discussed how these personality styles affect decision-making, communication, and team dynamics. 
• The Mirror Exercise: This was a point of reflection where participants shared moments they “failed” to lead well. They re-evaluated these instances, asked questions, and considered how outcomes could have changed through empathy or better self-regulation.
• Obstacle Challenge: A leader guided a blindfolded follower through a path of obstacles. This activity emphasised the necessity of clear communication and trust between a leader and her team.

The session was practical and reflective. It pushed participants to examine how they lead, how they respond to their emotions and those of others, and how they manage people better. 

The next WIB 2026 workshop is scheduled for 13th May and will focus on Mental Fortitude, Branding and Marketing. Participants will continue building practical skills which have a direct impact and daily applications on their business operations.