By Solomon Gumah, GNA
Tamale, May 29, GNA – Savana Signatures, a non-profit Information and Communication Technology and Development (ICT4D) organisation, has launched its 2025 Annual Report, highlighting interventions that directly impacted more than 1.1 million people across the country.
The report, launched in Tamale under the theme: “A Defining Year of Resilience, Innovation, and People-Centred Action,” showcased the organisation’s achievements in human capital development, environmental resilience, social inclusion, digital empowerment, education, health, and governance.
The launch attracted development partners, representatives of government institutions, civil society organisations, media practitioners, and community stakeholders.
Dr Stephen Agbenyo, Executive Director of Savana Signatures, said the year 2025 posed significant challenges to the organisation following the USAID stop-work order, which disrupted several ongoing and planned interventions.
He said despite the setback, the organisation remained focused on supporting vulnerable communities through innovative and inclusive interventions.
“What stands out most from 2025 is not only the obstacles we encountered, but the strength, adaptability and collective resolve with which we responded, directly reaching over 1,108,418 people,” he said.
Dr Agbenyo said the organisation’s interventions were implemented under three thematic areas, namely, Human Capital Development, Sustainable Environmental Management and Resilience, and Social Inclusion and Cohesion.
He said programmes implemented during the year addressed development challenges including illicit drug abuse among the youth, digital inequality, weak child protection systems, gaps in school leadership, menstrual stigma, limited access to clean water and inadequate reproductive health information.
He noted that the organisation leveraged partnerships with government institutions, development agencies, schools, media organisations and community structures to implement integrated solutions through community engagement, advocacy, capacity building, and technology.
The report indicated that 420,829 people benefited from human capital development interventions, while sustainable environmental management and resilience programmes reached 620,691 people.
It added that 66,898 people benefited from social inclusion and cohesion interventions.
Among the flagship interventions he highlighted was the “Get High on the GoodLife” Substance Abuse Prevention Campaign, which used school sensitisation programmes, mobile cinema campaigns, digital outreach, and community engagements to educate young people on the dangers of substance abuse.
The report also highlighted digital inclusion initiatives including Girls in ICT training, Digital Marketing Training for Women Entrepreneurs, GIZ DTIG stakeholder engagements and the Digital Talk Series on radio.
The interventions equipped girls, women-led businesses, youth innovators, and persons with disabilities with digital skills to enhance participation in the digital economy.
In the education sector, the report highlighted achievements including school management training, ICT pedagogy training for teachers and the completion of the Rural Youth in Ghana Catching Up on Education Project in cocoa-growing communities in the Eastern Region.
The project strengthened child protection systems through the establishment and strengthening of Child Protection Committees and improved community participation in education.
In the health sector, the organisation implemented menstrual health and hygiene education programmes in schools to improve menstrual literacy and reduce stigma among adolescent girls.
The report also highlighted the implementation of the UNESCO-supported Youth Empowerment Project in the Volta Region, which provided adolescents with reproductive health education and life skills training.
It disclosed preparatory works under the Enhancing Livelihoods and Social Protection of Vulnerable Women Project, funded by the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, to provide vocational, digital, and financial skills training for vulnerable women in 2026.
On water access, the report indicated that borehole drilling works were completed in Sibi Community in the Oti Region under the Clean Water Initiative with support from WACSI and the Wilde Ganzen Foundation.
The report further disclosed that Savana Signatures led the formation of the Ghana Online Safety Alliance in 2025 to promote safer and more inclusive digital spaces for women and girls.
Mr Ali Adolf John, Northern Regional Minister, represented at the launch, commended Savana Signatures for sustaining its development efforts despite challenges confronting development organisations.
He said the organisation’s ICT-driven interventions aligned with government’s agenda of accelerating digital transformation and inclusive development.
He praised initiatives such as Girls in ICT training, digital skills development for women entrepreneurs, ICT support for teachers and youth empowerment programmes, describing them as important for preparing young people and vulnerable groups for opportunities in the digital economy.
Mr John also commended the organisation for its efforts in promoting social accountability through interventions including the Transport Sector Improvement Project and the “Your Voice 4 Matter” initiative.
GNA
Edited by Eric K. Amoh/Linda Asante Agyei