Project Update: Women in Business Workshop – Mental Resillience, Branding & Marketing

The 2026 cohort of the GNBCC Women In Business (WIB) mentorship program met for their second workshop at Airport West Hotel. Running a successful enterprise often demands more than just business practices; it demands a strong mind and physical endurance. It also requires having a strong brand identity and a well-defined marketing strategy to survive in the competitive marketplace. And so this second workshop tackled two critical pillars: Mental Wellbeing, and Branding and Marketing.

Mental Resilience for Business Women

The pressures of running a business can easily lead to burnout, and with a lot of noise and distractions from our environment, it is easy to focus on the external voices at the expense of the internal. With about 90 percent of life dependent on the mind, we need to take time off, disconnect from the noise, and have a serene mind. A strong, clear, and sharp mind is a prerequisite for a healthy body and a thriving business. 

Lizette Beri, Founder of Brain Fitness Center Africa (BFCA), led this first session and was joined by BFCA Advisor Murray Weston and the rest of their team. BFCA is a wellness facility specializing in cognitive health, mental resilience training, and neurofeedback therapy. They equip their clients with mental skills to help them maximize their potential and improve performance. Their objective for this workshop was to equip the female entrepreneurs with the psychological tools necessary to navigate the high-stakes environment of business ownership. Lizette discussed the role of identity and self-awareness in business. She outlined methods for time and self-management and explained how identifying a sphere of influence helps direct energy toward solvable problems. The discussion also covered building resilience, developing mental toughness, and identifying and separating stressors. Lizette concluded the presentation by providing practical steps for daily mental care.

The BFCA team led the mentees through brief, interactive exercises specifically designed to build brain coordination and synchronize body movement. To cap off the experience, participants underwent an advanced neurofeedback session. Mentees had their brainwaves measured in real-time, with the results immediately analyzed and interpreted to provide them with personalized insights into their cognitive fitness.

Branding and Marketing

Barbara Davies, Executive Director at MullenLowe Accra, and Fatima Alimohamed, CEO at African Brand Warrior, co-led the second session. Both are mentors of the WIB program with strong acumen in brand building and marketing. MullenLowe Accra is a marketing and communications agency, while African Brand Warrior is a consultancy specializing in brand strategy across African markets.

Barbara focused on brand identity. She challenged the mentees with two questions: “Who am I? And who do they say I am?” She urged participants to consider what people associate their brand with when their name comes up. Her presentation covered brand personality and brand narrative. Davies noted: “A Brand’s identity is not a one-man show. It is an opera, and you need to have clarity, commitment, and consistency.”

Fatima then presented on “Breaking Invisible Barriers: Understanding the modern African consumer.” She opened by stating, “Everything you know about the African consumer is outdated.” She explained why entrepreneurs must update their knowledge of the African consumer behaviour and mindsets. Fatima analyzed behavior across age groups, from the Silent Generation to Gen Alpha, and advised entrepreneurs on which generations to target. She stressed that psychographics, rather than demographics, now determine consumer behavior and mindset. She closed her presentation by stating, “The African consumer is not one person. They are many lives in one body.”

The workshop ended with a breakout session. The mentees split into two teams. Barbara and Fatima reviewed the participants’ product packaging and provided direct feedback on areas for improvement.

The WIB Team extends its gratitude to the facilitators for sharing their time and expertise with our mentees. We also appreciate the mentees for their active participation and readiness to apply these lessons to their business operations. Equipping female entrepreneurs with these foundational tools ensures they are better prepared to navigate the market. We look forward to their continued progress as the three-month mentorship program advances.