Kumasi, Aug 26, GNA – Women in 57 districts would benefit from a $14.63 million credit facility to expand their economic activities.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) is providing US$12.93 million of the funds with the remaining US$1.7 million coming from the government.

Mr Foster Boateng, Project Manager of the Gender Responsive Skills and Community Development, said the money would be accessed through the rural banks and micro-finance companies.

He said the package is expected to benefit about four million women.

He was speaking at a two-day dissemination workshop held by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MOWAC) on its’ monitoring and evaluation plan at the Miklin Hotel in Kumasi.

It is being attended by heads of departments, directorate and units and regional directors of the departments.

The goal is to help them to effectively monitor the sector’s medium term development plan.

Mr Boateng said everything would be done to empower women economically.

Mr Geoshan Kumur, Chief Director of MOWAC, said there was the increasing need to strengthen and institutionalize a monitoring and evaluation system in its development agenda.

This, he said, would ensure improved services through informed decision-making.

“The recognition that resources are limited and the ever-rising expectations from citizens for better services are enough reasons to find more cost effective ways of operating so that government can do more with less.”

Mr Kumur said MOWAC’s monitoring and evaluation plan provides uniform approach for results-based programmes and projects.

It is primarily meant to institute an effective and efficient system for tracking the progress of programmes and projects in the sector.