By Joseph Agrace Wiyorbie
Suke, (UW/R), July 5, GNA – The Capacity Enhancement and Community Support (CAPECS), Ghana, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme ((UNDP) Ghana, has commissioned a solar-powered mechanised water system in Suke in the Lambussie District.
The project aimed to empower women to participate in decision making to enhance peace building and sustainable development in the community, the district, and the Upper West Region in general.
The intervention was to enable women in the community do all-year-around farming, especially vegetable production as part of CAPECS Ghana’s initiatives to boost women’s economic resilience and inclusion in decision making and peace building in the community.
It aimed to strengthen the capacities of women to play critical roles in conflict prevention and promote peaceful co-existence for sustainable development in the community and the district.
Speaking at the facility commissioning, Mr Abu Dokuwie Alhassan, the Executive Director of CAPECS Ghana, emphasised the commitment of CAPECS Ghana to empowering vulnerable people in society by creating an enabling environment for them to thrive.
“CAPECS Ghana aims to mobilise, coordinates and leverage the power and resources of the change actors to promote sustainable employment opportunities for all, particularly women to promote inclusion and participation in the community,” he said.
Mr Alhassan said through the initiative, CAPECS Ghana had trained the beneficiary women on good agronomic practices and, business development to improve their farming practices.
They had also been introduced to the Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) to enhance their economic status for an improved overall well-being.
Madam Melody Azinim, the Peace and Governance Analyst for UNDP, said the UNDP and its partners were committed to strengthening the capacity of women to participate in decision making processes to ensure peaceful coexistence in the communities.
She emphasised that peace was a prerequisite for development saying, “Without peace, we cannot achieve the development we all desire for this district.”
“The project, seeks to build the capacity of women in conflict prevention, mediation, and management, enabling them to contribute effectively to peace in their communities,” Madam Azinim explained.
Mr Charles Lwanga Puozuing, the Upper West Regional Minister, said the intervention in Suke reflected the greater aspiration of empowering women, fostering resilience, and building sustainable livelihoods.
The Minister praised CAPECS for its strategic approach, which focuses on livelihoods, skills development, and job creation for women and youth, enhancing health and well-being, and promoting inclusive governance.
He stressed the need for collective efforts to address issues of gender inequality and conflicts in the district as that could hamper development, especially the progress of the youth and women.
Kuoro Dakui Yiriminoh Zimi III, the Suke Divisional Chief, thanked CAPECS Ghana, UNDP, and the Government of Denmark and Luxembourg for the construction of the solar-powered mechanised water system for women in Suke.
He expressed gratitude to CAPECS Ghana for choosing the Suke community for the project, which had positively touched on pressing issues affecting the community and its environs in terms of livelihoods, business, and social cohesion.
The beneficiary women expressed gratitude to the CAPECS Ghana, UNDP and its partners for the initiative as that had helped enlighten and empower them to ensure peace building and sustainable development in the community.
The project was being implemented by CAPECS Ghana in partnership with UNDP and founded by Governments of Denmark and Luxembourg in the West Gonja District in the Savanna Region and Lambussie District in the Upper West Region.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/ Linda Asante Agyei