Women at the Tizza Community in the Jirapa Municipality of the Upper West Region have been sensitised on how to identify local economic opportunities and take advantage to turn around their fortunes.
The women were also taken through ways they could mobilise in groups to seek support from financial institutions to grow their identified businesses.
Mr Bismark Chemaalo, the General Manager of Mwintuur Micro Finance, said it was important to train the women, most of who ventured into businesses without properly appreciating the concept to be able to grow the business.
“Some of them do not even have any idea at all about the economic opportunities available in the local business environment for them to take advantage of,” he said.
“Others want to take loans from financial institutions but do not even have any viable business; so we’re training them on how to identify a viable business, take care of their customers, and understand group dynamics to be able to engage in successful business,” said Mr Chemaalo.
“When they understood all these, we will then be able to offer them credit to start their businesses under supervision to ensure they become successful.”
Meanwhile, he identified Sheanut picking, Shea butter extraction, pito brewing, small scale poultry farming and animal rearing among others as some of the available business opportunities.
Madam Ayisha Nasiru-deen, the Jirapa Municipal Social Welfare Officer, touched on the consequences of child marriage and called on families not to discriminate against the girl-child but rather ensure equal opportunities for both the male and female to realise their dreams.
Mr Yakubu Sabutu, the Chief Assistant Investigator at the Jirapa Office of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), said pushing girls into early marriage was against their human rights and should be discouraged.
Inspector Francis Forson Ackon, the Criminal Investigative Department (CID) Officer in charge of the Jirapa Municipality, encouraged the people to report cases of domestic violence to the law enforcement agencies for redress instead of attempting to shield them.
Madam Lydia Ninberewe, the Jirapa Municipal Focal Person, for the African Centre for Human Rights and Sustainable Development, said the economic opportunity sensitisation was a component of the Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Girls.
Madam Ninberewe, also the Jirapa Municipal Gender Desk Officer, said the project sought to ensure that women and girls became abreast of their human rights and utilised the opportunities to better their lot.
The EROP project is being implemented by GH Alliance in partnership with AfCHuRSD and WOMEN IN NEED with funding from the Dutch Embassy.
