Women empowerment remains powerful tool for poverty alleviation — Plan International

 Women’s empow­erment remains a powerful tool for alleviating poverty while ensuring child safety, the Country Director of Plan International Ghana, Mr Constant Tchona, has said.

He made this assertion yesterday during the close-out ceremony of the Women Innovation for Sustainable Enterprises (WISE) Project in Accra.

The five-year initiative, spear­headed by Plan International Ghana and funded by Global Af­fairs Canada, was implemented in the Bono, Bono East, Ahafo, and Northern regions.

It aimed to empower women economically and improve their wellbeing through a comprehen­sive suite of gender-responsive business services in five districts within the targeted regions.

The project targeted underem­ployed women aged 19 to 54 years in rural and suburban areas.

Mr Tchona emphasised the criti­cal role of women’s empowerment in achieving sustainable develop­ment goals and fostering economic growth.

“When women are supported with an enabling environment to fully participate in economic activities, households experience becomes significant improvement.”

‘Women entrepreneurs play a pivotal role in national develop­ment, and their empowerment cre­ates safe spaces for their children to thrive,” he noted.

The WISE Project focused on addressing the root causes of gen­der inequality, enhancing women’s economic rights, and alleviating poverty.

Mr Tchona stated that with the right support, women have the capacity to eradicate hunger and poverty in Africa.

“The WISE project has demon­strated what women can achieve when given opportunities to excel,” he added.

Providing an overview of the project, Ms Theodora Asare, Proj­ect Manager of WISE, explained that it was designed to strengthen women’s rights to economic em­powerment, and engage men and traditional leaders as partners in promoting gender equality.

She added that gaps in delivering gender-responsive financial, busi­ness, and marketing services were addressed, alongside advocacy for inclusive economic growth.

Ms Asare revealed that the proj­ect directly reached 14,123 women, with 5,445 receiving start-up support in agribusiness. Addition­ally, 64 child-friendly spaces were established, and 28 were renovated.

“The project has significantly in­creased the realisation of women’s rights to economic empowerment, leading to improved wellbeing and inclusive growth in the targeted communities,” she stated.

The Director and Head of Cooperation at the Canadian High Commission in Ghana, Kathleen Flynn-Dapaah, commended the transformational impact of the project.

She urged beneficiaries to safe­guard their achievements, stating, “The transformational change in the lives of these women is truly inspiring. It is essential to nurture and protect the progress made to ensure sustained growth.”

Seth Twim Akwaboah of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), a partner of the project, praised the initiative for empower­ing women to break barriers and contribute to their communities.

He underscored AGI’s role in mentoring and providing network­ing opportunities for the benefi­ciaries.

One of the beneficiaries, Mrs Gifty Konmon, a beekeeper, ex­pressed gratitude for the initiative, saying, “Thanks to the support, I can now harvest and sell honey, generating income to help my husband with household expenses, including paying our children’s school fees.”

 BY RAISSA SAMBOUa

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