Various reasons have been adduced by
researchers for women’s low involvement in corrupt practices especially
in the business ecosystem. Income from female owned businesses, mostly
the SME’s, are major sources for family upkeep, and owners are less
likely to risk their family income sources to the consequences of
corruption. The society holds women to higher moral standards, expecting
women to hold the morals of society together. Women thus suffer more
punishment than men in the form of social/gender discrimination when
suspected or caught to be involved in corrupt activities.
The
above foregrounds the general assertion that most women are risk-averse
due to their social roles and expectations. They are more likely to
conform to acceptable rules of operation to avoid stereotyping.
In
Ghana, there is a growing community of young women entrepreneurs who
engage daily in the business ecosystem with its associated facilitation
and collusive corrupt practices. These entrepreneurs encounter
administrative and procurement challenges in their daily work life.
Thus, a platform for women to talk about these issues and proffer
solutions to navigate such situations and be change agents is crucial
for a responsible business environment.
The Alliance for Integrity has instituted the Women for Integrity Series (WISe) platform,
which aims to offer women an avenue to engage and exchange thoughts on
good practices in anti-corruption and corporate integrity. In
collaboration with the National Board for Small Scale Industries and the
Ghana Integrity Initiative, the Alliance for Integrity is launching and
organising its maiden (virtual) WISe event themed “The woman as an
anti-corruption agent – the obstacles, challenges and opportunities” to
afford women entrepreneurs, women in both the public and private sector
an opportunity to:
- Contribute to the topic of anti-corruption, compliance and integrity
- Explore and harness practical solutions to address general and
peculiar obstacles in their everyday work life and deal with regulatory
and compliance issues.
Who should attend
This
virtual event is open to Female Entrepreneurs, Women CEOs and Executive
Directors, Women owned SMEs, Start-ups, and Female Employees, Female
Compliance Managers, Officers, Women in Academia and the General Public.
It will be hosted on Microsoft Teams.