The CEO of Strategic Communications Africa Ltd (Stratcomm Africa), Esther A. N. Cobbah, has challenged female entrepreneurs to build brand presence and trust as the foundation of sustainable business success.Speaking at the Africa Women’s Entrepreneurship & Business Innovation Programme 2026 in Accra, she said credibility, relevance and excellence remain the true currencies of leadership.The programme, organised by the Africa Women’s Leadership Academy, brought together nearly 200 women entrepreneurs, business leaders and professionals from various sectors. It was held under the theme “The Woman Founder – Brand Presence, Perception and Trust as a Skill.”Ms Cobbah urged participants to develop a deep understanding of themselves and their operating environment. She encouraged them to identify their strengths and weaknesses, understand their stakeholders and respond to real needs in the markets they serve.“You cannot determine your relevance from your perspective alone. Your enterprise must solve problems that matter to others, not just one that only excites you,” she noted.She stressed that brand trust is built through sustained excellence and ethical conduct. Delivering on a brand promise and ensuring consistency between internal values and external actions, she said, are critical to long-term credibility. She also encouraged entrepreneurs to anticipate challenges, invest in crisis preparedness and refuse to compromise their integrity.“Your reputation is shaped not only by what you achieve, but also by how you behave in crisis situations,” she said.On strategy, Ms Cobbah advised women founders to resist shortcuts. She called for steady growth, strong systems and capable teams. She underscored the importance of continuous learning, self-renewal and disciplined leadership, explaining that founders must evolve alongside their organisations.“As your business expands, you must renew your thinking, your skills, and your capacity to develop others,” she advised.She further called on entrepreneurs to invest intentionally in their teams, organisational culture and governance structures. Strong institutions, she said, should be built to outlive their founders. True leadership, she noted, is reflected in the ability to establish systems that function effectively even in the founder’s absence.Drawing on metaphors from nature and her own experience, she likened entrepreneurship to nurturing a plant. It requires patience, the right environment and resilience. She reminded participants that many enduring enterprises are the result of years of unseen effort and disciplined preparation before visible success emerges.Ms Cobbah also paid tribute to the late Ms Barbara Sika Baeta, founder of Flair Catering, describing her as an inspiration. She noted that Ms Baeta built a business from modest beginnings to one that catered to Heads of State and royalty with distinction for decades. Through excellence and brand trust, she projected Ghanaian cuisine onto the international stage.Ms Cobbah is an award-winning strategic communications leader and entrepreneur. She is the Founder and CEO of Stratcomm Africa, Ghana’s premier 360-degree communications agency with influence across Africa and beyond. She currently serves as President of the Institute of Public Relations Ghana and is President of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA) for 2026, becoming the first Ghanaian and one of the few Africans to lead the 70-year-old global professional body.