Beneficiaries of the Youth and Women Empowerment (YOWE)’s Action for Voice and Inclusive Development (AVID) project, implemented in the Upper Manya Krobo District and Lower Manya Krobo Municipal of the Eastern Region, unanimously say the project has greatly impacted their businesses, enhanced their profitability, and improved their group dynamics and teamwork.

The beneficiaries, including Persons With Disabilities (PWDs), market women/queens, and women farmer groups, at the end of the 15-month project, say they’ve recorded impressive outputs/outcomes in their various occupations as a result of their active participation in the project.

They revealed these during an end-of-project extensive valuation forum dubbed “End of Project Learning Event” held at Odumae-Krobo and Asesewa in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipal and Upper Manya Krobo District, respectively.

Describing the impact of the project as successful, the Executive Director of YOWE, Mr. Emmanuel Nuetey Siakwa, while expressing satisfaction over the achievements of the main objectives of the project, said the target groups had been able to form cooperatives as well as record successes in their respective businesses.

However, he indicated that there was the possibility of YOWE's follow-ups to address key issues arising out of the concerns of the participants. The Executive Director said, “There are other issues that call for further follow-ups and pursuit of other projects”:

He cited the inadequate facilities at the markets, adding: “and so we need to look at how best the Assemblies will provide the needed services & facilities for them. There is also the need for the market women to make more sales in the market.

For the Women Smallholder Farmer Groups, it is now approaching the major season and there is the need for further follow-ups and support. We must also follow up on the PWDs to see if the livelihood empowerment items given them by their respective Assemblies are enough for them to improve their businesses.”

Mr. Siakwa, however, urged the beneficiaries to ensure that they sustain the gains made in their respective businesses to enable them to reap long-term benefits sustainably.

Benefits

According to the PWDs, learning about the need to register their associations, proper financial management, and investment opportunities were additional knowledge they acquired. They, however, recommended a longer project duration to enable YOWE to cover more communities.

The Women Smallholder Farmer Groups also identified unity, teamwork, proper production and storage practices, efficient management, and handling of farm produce as some of the benefits of the project.

The market women/traders similarly mentioned proper organization amongst them, unity, and cultivation of a saving habit as vital benefits derived from the engagements. The support the project gave them to organize a massive clean exercise in collaboration with Assemblies and Zoomlion, coupled with the institutionalization of monthly clean exercises in the various markets, is one big achievement they will always be thankful for.

Challenges:

Meanwhile, the participants shared a myriad of challenges confronting them in their respective occupational areas: The market women cited the absence/inadequate urinals/toilets in the markets. The use of chemicals in crop cultivation and storage by farmers is of great concern to not only the market women/traders but the buying and consuming public as a whole.

The Groups also identified the following as additional challenges they are facing: Inadequate funds and support from the District Assemblies. Absence of storage facilities. Poor maintenance of the markets. Inadequate provision of waste collection containers/bins, coupled with irregular evacuation of waste are concerns to them.

According to the Groups in the remote and hard-to-reach communities, specifically the Women Smallholder Farmer Groups in both districts, the poor network services are hampering effective communication not only among their members but also with the District Assemblies, YOWE, and extended families and friends. The PWDs, on their part, raised the following issues affecting them: Lack of access to startup capital. Stigmatization. Inaccessibility to new market stalls.

Lessons Learned:

The Women Smallholder Farmer Groups mentioned the need for knowledge-sharing as an important lesson learned. Good sanitation and hygiene in the market can attract more buyers/consumers. Displaying food items on the bare floor has health implications. Proper record-keeping is good for groups and businesses.

Unity among members and between groups promotes peace, welfare, and growth. Good customer relations promote sales and customer retention. Opening bank accounts can qualify groups to access financial products/services. Our members are now motivated to work and fend for themselves as well as hold duty bearers to account.

Recommendations for YOWE/Star Ghana Foundation

YOWE, through the support of Star Ghana Foundation, should extend the project duration to maximize benefits/impact. Working relationships between the Groups and the District Assemblies and other duty-bearers must be strengthened and consolidated to promote participatory decision-making and inclusive local economic development.

About the SGF-funded AVID Project:

The Youth and Women Empowerment (YOWE), an NGO based in Odumase-Krobo (Lower Manya Krobo Municipal) of the Eastern Region, has over 15 months engaged in two separate workshops for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs), Market women associations, and women smallholder farmer groups in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality and Upper Manya Krobo District.

The project, which aimed at building the capacity of the target beneficiary groups on how to access interest-free or low-interest resources (financial, inputs/tools, and technical support) for the development and growth of their businesses, was led by various financial institutions including the Lower Manya Krobo Rural Bank, Upper Manya Krobo Rural Bank, and the Ghana Enterprises Agency (GEA), through their district offices of Business Advisory Centres (BAC). The project entitled “Empowering Women Cooperatives and PWD Groups in Social

Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Livelihoods” was implemented by YOWE with funding support from STAR-Ghana Foundation under the Action for Voice and Inclusive Development (AVID) initiative. The project, essentially, is to economically empower the beneficiary groups in the two Districts on financial literacy, business management skills, and savings under its livelihood and entrepreneurial skills development activities.

More importantly, the project is geared towards ensuring that women are equipped with the requisite knowledge and skills to better manage their finances, linking them to financial schemes/packages to assist them in accessing soft loans to enable them to start and expand their businesses to become financially independent and self-reliant as well.