Accra, April 30, GNA - Ms. Akua Sena Dansua, Minister for Women and Children's Affairs, on Thursday said government was encouraging the use of non-traditional tree species, specifically bamboo, as a supplementary raw material for entrepreneurs in the wood industry.

She noted that 75 per cent of the Ghanaian population lived in the rural areas where there was poverty and said there was the need to engage such people especially women in rural areas to be involved in entrepreneurial skills to help reduce poverty among them. "Bamboo has become a fast emerging rural industry," she said at the launch of "Beyond Aid Project" that aims at ensuring that communities acquired skills that would enable them to mobilize resources and apply them usefully.

Ms. Dansua said government appreciated the contribution of non-governmental and civil society organizations in supporting women to help them out of poverty since women bore the brunt of the consequences of poverty.

She also commended the African Women Development Fund (AWDF) for supporting the project. The project involved the training of 10 girls from the Agona East District in the Central Region. They were trained in bamboo craft to help promote the sustainable use of the grass as well as demonstrate the value of bamboo as an alternative to timber. Mrs. Jennifer Brock, Project Coordinator, said the Centre for Development Partnership, the NGO involved in the project, hoped to establish bamboo plantations as well as the establishment of bamboo craft villages across regions where bamboo existed. The project which cost about GH¢45,000 was partly funded by AWDF and will eventually develop and promote policies that have the potential of dramatically enhancing the social enterprise field. The trainees organized an exhibition to display their products which included serving trays, bags, table cloth, jewellery holder, curtains, tables and chairs which sold for prices ranging from GH¢15 GH¢50.

Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Deputy Minister of Local Government, who opened the exhibition pledged the ministry's support for the project and said he would create awareness of the project in the various municipal and district assemblies to solicit support from them. Ms. Lucia Quachey, an entrepreneur, who chaired the programme, said entrepreneurship held the key to the empowerment of women and called for continuous support to enable the participants to benefit from the programme. She urged the participants to also train other people to help reduce poverty in their various communities. 30 April 09