Ajumako Besease, C/R, June 12, GNA - The Human Environmental and Provision Organization (HEPO), a rural enterprise financing and community development project promoters has organised a two-day financial management and skill training for women groups in micro-financing at Ajumako Besease to improve their businesses. The two-day training covered topics such as book keeping, savings and prompt payment of loan facilities and old-age security. Mr Alexander Esua-Mensah, Director of HEPO, said the organization, facilitated capitalisation from banks and international financial organisations under its micro-financing programme aimed at women poverty reduction.

He said that the organisation also offered advocacy sensitisation and training for the women and other business partners since many members of the groups failed to pay loans granted to them by the banks and applied the skill training offered them to promote their ventures. The Director stated that if skills offered them were not updated the poverty alleviation funds granted them go down the drain and appealed to the rural banks to dialogue with the groups to find an acceptable way to retrieve their money instead of court action. Mr Daniel Kumi-Dei, project Manager of the Assinman Rural Bank, said the Bank had granted 50 million cedis to five women groups at Besease to expand their businesses.

He said another 50-million-cedi facility would be disbursed soon and stressed the need for prompt payment for others to benefit. Mr Ekow Ewusi Dadson, Founder and Leader of Besease Community Farmers and Traders Association, advised the women to honour the loans granted them.

Ms Rose Banson and Lucy Banson, members of the group, who use Soya beans to prepare khebab asked the banks to grant them more financial assistance to expand their business. They also appealed to the Ajumako-Enyan- Essiam District Assembly to support them with the Poverty Alleviation Funds and other interventions to improve the work and to create jobs for the youth.