By Philip Tengzu, GNA
Nandom, (UW/R), Jan. 07, GNA – The Langtaa Cooperative Farmers Association has organised a capacity-building training for its members on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, resource mobilisation and access to social protection initiatives, to strengthen their business development and improve livelihoods.
About 60 members of the Association drawn from twelve communities within the municipality benefited from the training, which formed part of activities under the Forest and Farm Facility Project, funded by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Officials from the Nandom branch of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) and the Nandom Rural Bank Limited facilitated sessions on financial literacy and access to credit.
Mr Simon Peter Dery, the Operations Manager of ADB, encouraged the participants to open and maintain bank accounts to enable them access financial services, to support their farming businesses.
He also urged them to leverage group solidarity as collateral to access financial support from financial institutions, such as the ADB.
Mr Halid K. Nuhu, the Head of Credit and Mr Puodong Isaac, the Assistant Marketing Officer, both at the Nandom Rural Bank, educated the participants on the principles and importance of financial literacy and strategies for prudent financial management towards their agribusiness development.
Mr Biliguo Shirazudeen Enoch, the Municipal Director of Social Welfare, sensitised the participants on existing social protection interventions, vulnerability categories and procedures for accessing support.
Mr Joshua Kpipien, the Management Information Systems (MIS) Officer at the Nandom Municipal Office of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), urged participants to enrol on the scheme.
Mr Jamal Mahamadu, the Head of the Business Resource Centre, Nandom Municipal, took participants through entrepreneurship development, quality control, regulatory requirements, and marketing and branding, among others.
He encouraged them to ensure quality processing of products, packaging and branding and compliance with the standards and requirements of their clients.
Mr Godwin Kuuim Tietaah, the Executive Director of the Langtaa Cooperative Farmers Association, urged the participants to apply the knowledge and skills acquired to enhance their businesses.
“We hope that at the end of the day you (the participants) will gain practical skills in establishing businesses and managing them properly in order to make profits and improve your livelihoods”, he explained.
The participants expressed gratitude to the Association for exposing them to practical skills in establishing and managing businesses, accessing credit using group solidarity, and enrolling in social protection initiatives, such as the NHIS.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Christabel Addo