Madam Regina extends her regards
Plan International Ghana has organised a project close-out ceremony for the Women’s Innovation for Sustainable Enterprise (WISE) project.
Speaking on the theme, “When Rights are Realized, Growth is Imminent”.
The five-year project was sponsored by Global Affairs Canada to help improve the lives of children, women, and girls between the ages of 19 years and above through rights and economic empowerment in five districts including Tonlo, Kumbugu, Sunyani, Techiman and Ahafo North.
Speaking at the event, the Country Director, Constant Tchona, explained that Plan International Ghana is a Human Rights Organization that strives to impact the lives of children and women who are the most vulnerable in society.
He again added that women’s economic empowerment is a driver for achieving a secure and United society as well as part of attaining sustainable development goal number 8 thus decent work and economic growth.
He added that the initiative adopted a gender transformative approach integrated with technological and financial strategies to work at various levels to address the grassroots cause of gender inequality and promote economic justice and rights for women in Ghana.
He applauded the project for contributing to the improvement in well-being, livelihood, and healthy family relationships among women and their communities.
Also, in an interview with the Project Manager, Theodora Asare, explained that the project worked with 150 district communities that trained women in green and agribusinesses as well as supporting 5000 women with start-up support.
She added that the project was a gender-transformative program that incorporated gender-transformative discussions in every activity.
Madam Theodora explains that support from men for women business helps boost the growth of the business. “We realized that when men support the women in their businesses the businesses grow, the unpaid care work is taken care of, there is redistribution of responsibilities at the home and the woman has the opportunity to run her business,” she said.
Director and Head of Cooperation for Global Affairs Canada, Kathleen Flynn Dapaah, applauded Ghanaian women for their collaboration in business, holding each other accountable, helping each other grow, and employing each other through their agency.
She added that when women are given the right tools and information they will seize opportunities with both hands which Ghanaian women are not an exception.
She said, “Ghanaian women will certainly not wait they will go ahead and they will show what they are quickly”.
Mr. Akwaboah who is from the Association of Ghana Industries uses the opportunity to call on the government to design and implement women’s specific entrepreneurial policy to enhance productivity and competitiveness to address challenges such as limited funding, market entry barriers, and structural inequalities that hinder women’s business from thriving.
He also encouraged women to spread the knowledge gained from the project to empower other women in their communities.
By Florence Asamoah Adom