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By Albert Futukpor
Tamale, Aug. 31, GNA – A project dubbed: “Increasing Competitiveness of Smallholder Women Aggregators and Processors along the Maize, Rice, Groundnut, and Shea Value Chains for Increased Income Prosperity”, has begun to ensure improved incomes for women agro-processors.
The seven month-long project, which is being implemented in selected communities in the Sagnarigu Municipality and Nanton District of the Northern Region, involve 120 direct beneficiary women.
It is being implemented by Youth Development and Voice Initiative (YOVI), an NGO, with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Ghana Trade and Investment (GTI) Activity through the Nathan Associates.
Mr Rahman Hussein, Executive Director of YOVI, speaking during a stakeholders’ engagement session on the project in Tamale, said the project, set to transform the beneficiary communities, was a beacon of empowerment and growth reflecting shared commitment to elevate the aspirations of women aggregators and agro-processors.
The stakeholders’ engagement session was to enable participants to share ideas and insights, and their roles towards the successful implementation of the project for sustainable change.
Participants included representatives from financial institutions, hotels, restaurants, business service providers, Ghana Enterprises Agency, Department of Cooperatives, MASLOC, Food and Drugs Authority, and women aggregators and agro-processors.
Mr Hussein said, “By harnessing the power of the maize, rice, groundnut, and shea value chains, the project envisions unlocking the full potential of these sectors thereby fostering economic prosperity and inclusivity.”
He added that “This transformative journey involves collaboration with key entities such as the Ghana Enterprises Agency, Department of Cooperatives, and District Coordinating Councils whose guidance will illuminate the path toward progress.”
He said the stakeholders’ engagement session marked the dawn of a transformative era where “The synergy between women’s empowerment and economic advancement promises to create lasting impact. As the project takes root and blossoms, it is poised to leave an indelible mark on the trajectory of these communities bringing forth a future brimming with promise and potential.”
Mr Mohammed Ahmed Yakubu, Sagnarigu Municipal Chief Executive, noted that even though women constituted the majority of actors in the produce aggregation value chain sector, they did not earn much from their labour.
Mr Yakubu, therefore, lauded the project, saying “The empowerment of women to improve their lot in the aggregation value chain is a necessary action in the process to ensure that people are adequately compensated for their labour. It is also a means of wealth redistribution to reach more people in society.”
He spoke about government’s interventions to improve the sector and said it had constructed warehouses across the country to ensure that farmers and aggregators had places to store their produce, urging women aggregators to take advantage of the availability of the warehouses to properly store their produce.
He commended USAID-GTI for its support to secure the country’s food future, saying “The support of USAID in food and nutrition issues in Ghana is highly acknowledged.”
GNA
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