Project to empower marginalised women launched
A non-profit, skills-development organisation, Network for Women in Growth (NEWIG), has launched a project aimed at promoting economic inclusion for marginalised women living in urban areas across the country.
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The two-year project which would be rolled out in two phases would focus on four urban centres namely Accra, Sekondi-Takoradi, Kumasi and Tamale.
With GH¢2.38 million support from the Coca-Cola Foundation, the implementers of the project, NEWIG would provide skills training in mushroom farming, snail farming and soap making to 300 young women, including people living with disabilities, in the selected urban centres.
At the end of the project about 2,500 women would be empowered to initiate and manage their own businesses.
The project would also include an entrepreneurship incubation programme for 20 high-performing beneficiaries who would receive leadership, team building and business registration support.
The beneficiaries will also be trained in business management such as record keeping, customer service, time management, product packaging, while ten other businesses would also receive match-up grant support.
Creating positive change
At the launch of the project, the chairperson of NEWIG, Adwoa Bame said the project would create positive change in the lives of marginalised women selected from deprived communities in Accra, Sekondi-Takoradi, Kumasi and Tamale.
She said the project would also create awareness of gender and the role of the informal sector in Ghana’s socio economic development.
Ms Bame called for commitment among stakeholders to break down barriers that hinder the promotion of gender equality and promote an environment where every woman can reach her full potential.
Coca-Cola Foundation support
Senior Manager, Communications of the Coca-Cola Foundation, David Appiah, said the partnership with NEWIG would provide the beneficiaries with the necessary resources and entrepreneurial skills to enable them to contribute to the growth of the local economy and enhance their socio-economic status.
The Coca-Cola Foundation, he said, was committed to support communities across Ghana and to promote sustainable growth, encourage entrepreneurship, and foster an environment that facilitates learning, growth and success.
Supporting women
The Executive Director of NEWIG, Mawulawoe Awity, said NEWIG had in the past 22 years provided skills training for thousands of women leading to the creation of jobs for more than 7000 women and positively impacted communities.
She said NEWIG would collaborate with key stakeholders including the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ghana Federation of the Disability Organisation, Ghana TVET Services and the metropolitan assemblies of beneficiaries urban areas.
She commended the Coca-Cola Foundation for supporting NEWIG and noted that the project would help invest in the empowerment of women and create not just alternative livelihoods but a sustainable and thriving future for them.
The Executive Director of Salt and Light Ministries, Joyce R. Aryee commend NEWIG Ghana for championing the cause of women.
“It is through initiatives like these that we build a society where every individual, regardless of gender or circumstance, has the opportunity to thrive,” she said.