Mrs Justina Marigold Assan (left) addressing the participants during the training. Looking on is Madam Monica Esi Crentsil (standing middle), facilitator for the training

25 Disabled women undergo skills training

Gilbert Mawuli Agbey Jul - 16 - 2018 , 06:13

Twenty-five members of the women’s wing of the Ghana Federation of the Disabled (GFD) in the Agona West municipality in the Central Region have benefitted from a two-day skills training to empower them to set up their own businesses.

The training, funded by the Agona West Municipal Assembly (AWMA), formed part of projects and programmes initiated by the assembly headed by the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mrs Justina Marigold Assan, to support women’s groups in the municipality to acquire entrepreneurial skills to improve their standards of living.

The project is also aimed at addressing the issue of disabled women who are spotted at lorry stations, markets and along streets, as well as in public places, begging for alms.

The participants were taken through the production of shower gel, liquid hand-washing soap, disinfectant and hair pomade. At the end of the training, each participant was presented with some start-up materials and chemicals to enable them to start producing for the market.

They were drawn from towns such as Agona Kwaman, Agona Nyakrom, Agona Abodom and Agona Swedru.

Service provider

Madam Monica Esi Crentsil, a service provider from the National Board for Small-Scale Industries (NBSSI), who took the participants through the training, implored them to put the knowledge acquired into good use to better their living standards.

She also advised them to take inspirations from what was happening in other jurisdictions, where disabled women had been empowered to make meaningful contribution to the development of the economies of their countries, stressing that “as women, whether disabled or not, we can engage in income generating activities to support the growth of our families and the nation as a whole.”

Agona West MCE

The MCE for Agona West told the participants to take the training seriously since the assembly had decided to also provide them with training in addition to the funds given to them.

She advised the participants to see such training support from government as a major step towards resourcing them to improve their standard of living.

She assured them that the assembly would provide them with seed capital from their share of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) so that they could start their businesses early.

Coordinating Director

The Coordinating Director of the assembly, Mr Ishmael Nana Ogyefo, commended the women for their decision to come together to undergo the training and advised to produce quality products for the market.

The leader of the women’s wing, Mrs Grace Asante, commended the assembly for heeding to their request and appealed to the assembly to continue to offer them the necessary support to make the training programme sustainable.