By Dennis Peprah
Sunyani, (Bono), April 05, GNA – The Cashew Watch Ghana (CWG), a civil society organisation secured GHC500,000 grant from the STAR Ghana Foundation for the implementation of the second phase of a cashew sector advocacy project in the Bono Region.
The CWA is a national coalition of civil society organizations, farmer groups, media, and private sector actors working to promote accountability, advocacy, and improved livelihoods for cashew farmers across Ghana.
According to Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu, the National Coordinator of the CWG, the execution of the “Amplifying the voices of cashew farmers” project sought to boost cashew production and guarantee the rights and voices of smallholder cashew farmers in the region.
It would be implemented in cashew producing districts in the region, namely Jaman North, Jaman South, Banda, and Tain districts of the region and to deepen farmer engagement in policy dialogue and strengthen grassroots advocacy.
The project implementation will promote transparency and accountability in the cashew value chain.
“We are excited to continue this critical work with the generous support of STAR Ghana Foundation”, Mr Ahenu, also the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Media Foundation (GloMeF), stated in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani.
He said GloMeF, an NGO also specialises in using right-based approach; social and behaviour change communication; research; and evidence-based advocacy to facilitate inclusive development interventions targeting youth, women, children and other vulnerable groups in the society.
Mr Ahenu highlighted the concept of the project saying, “the grant will help us expand our reach, empower more cashew farmers, especially women and youth and thereby strengthen their voice in sector governance”.
The project will hold community sensitization and farmer education fora, capacity building workshops on policy advocacy, radio talk shows and media engagements as well as monitor and document cashew-related policies and practices.
He said more than 1,000 smallholder farmers were expected to benefit directly, reaching an estimated 5,000 people indirectly through various awareness and advocacy campaigns.
The STAR Ghana Foundation is committed to enabling citizens to act for sustainable and equitable development.
Supporting Cashew Watch Ghana aligns with our vision of an active and engaged civil society contributing to inclusive and accountable governance, he stated.
Mr Ahenu explained that the grant reflected STAR Ghana Foundation’s continued partnership with civil society organizations to drive citizen-led transformation and enhance the voice and influence of marginalized communities.
He said the CWG remained dedicated to ensuring that cashew farmers were not left behind in national agricultural policy discussions and that their concerns were tackled in the on-going transformation of the nation’s tree crop sector.
GNA
DEN/KOA