8 Wa-based female-led businesses receive support
Plan International Ghana, with the collaboration of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and the Australian Embassy, has offered support to eight young female-led small-scale businesses in Wa to stimulate economic growth.
The eight enterprises are into activities including beekeeping, shea and ground nuts butter production, trading and crop farming.
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They are Doris Siibu Resource Farms, Bangniyel Wulimga Eunice Miga Glow, Patricia Poyaare Naturals, Luci Sung Punkin’, Caroline Royal-Avielle Honey, Mabruka Influx and Spill Product and Olivia Kobaa-ok Farms.
This was announced last Monday by the Northern Sector Manager of Plan International, Eric Ayaba, at the end of a one-year support programme into building female-led agribusiness project (FLAP) carried out in Wa in the Upper West Region.
The support involved mentorship, capacity building in bookkeeping and business management, product branding and marketing.
Apart from that, each of the eight female beneficiaries received business start-up equipment valued at GH¢30,000 to venture into businesses of their choice.
The equipment included tricycles, large deep freezers, laptops, packaging containers, beehives protective clothing, constructed kiosks and fertilisers.
The support was aimed at helping to develop agribusinesses founded by young females, who had grown their prospects but were stifled by financial and technical support constraints.
Mr Ayaba said it had been realised that women-led small-scale business could contribute to the growth of the economy.
He expressed satisfaction that the eight young females had proven that with the right assistance, women-led agribusiness had the capacity to grow.
He urged the beneficiaries to attach special importance to the education of their children for them to become responsible citizens.
Selection
Giving the background to the programme, the representative of the Australian High Commissioner, Harriet William, said the eight females were selected after a detailed programme to support women in their various ventures.
Ms William said after interaction with a number of women in the region, they were asked to send their proposals to the embassy on their individual needs.
The proposals were analysed and 20 were shortlisted for the programme, she said.
Out of these 20 women, she said eight were selected and according to their proposals were given the needed business start-up equipment they required.
After this, they were taken through various capacity building and technical training programmes.
Ms William was happy to see that they had all scaled up their businesses with huge profits.
She said the one-year project was undertaken with GH¢286,336 as a grant from the Australian Government and GH¢66,128.00 support from Plan International Ghana to help promote their businesses.
The Regional MOFA Officer in charge of Monitoring and Evaluation, Rita Mumuni, commended the Australian Government and Plan International for coming to the aid of the women who had all along been looking for capital to improve various businesses.
Mrs Mumuni said although small-scale businesses could help move the country forward, the necessary credit facilities have not been easy to acquire.
She said with this project it had been observed that when women were given the proper guidance, improved capacities and easy access to capital, they could break new ground.
The beneficiaries exhibited some of the products from their various farms and enterprises.