By Solomon Gumah, GNA
Tamale, May 09, GNA – The Village Livelihood Development (VLD), a community-based social organisation, has launched the second phase of its Women Integrated Livelihood Development and Nutrition Actions (WILDNAs-II) project in Tamale.
The project will be implemented in 10 communities in the Tamale Metropolis-Adubiyili Dungu, Yapala, Dungu Kukuo, Cheshe, Datoyili, Tishegu, Wamale, Ticheli, Vitting, and Kakpayili.
The project is targeted at helping build healthy and wealthy communities in the area.
The project, funded by the KGL Foundation, is also tailored at accelerating and building the resilience of at least 70 early-stage women-led startups and 25 integrated Mother-to-Mother Support Group/Village Savings and Loans Associations (MTMSG/VSLAs) in the Tamale Metropolis by December 2026.
Mr Jeremiah Oladele, the Director and Team Leader of VLD, speaking during the launch, said the WILDNAs-II project was designed as a strategic follow-up to the achievements of Phase One to serve as a support mechanism to accelerate the growth and resilience of targeted beneficiaries.
He said the project would focus on building the resilience of integrated MTMSG/VSLAs, accelerating the growth and sustainability of women-led startups from the first phase, and promoting digital inclusion through training in digital marketing.
He explained that the project would implement refresher training for women leaders of VSLAs to facilitate the MTMSG concept and provide logistical support including manuals and Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) tapes to integrated MTMSG/VSLAs.
Mr Oladele said the project would also establish “Homeset-Factories” for women entrepreneurs to produce nutritious pre-packed snacks and foods, introduce revolving livestock schemes, support container and drip irrigation home gardening initiatives, and train women entrepreneurs in social media marketing and optimisation.
He said the intervention would adopt an input-based social business support model and participatory learning approach while leveraging partnerships with institutions such as the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), and Ghana Enterprise Agency (GEA).
Mr Francis Koo, the Tamale Metropolitan Director, Department of Agriculture, reaffirmed the Department’s commitment to collaborate with VLD to ensure the success of the project.
He described the project as timely saying women played critical roles in agriculture, household nutrition, entrepreneurship, and family welfare, and yet, they continued to face challenges in accessing productive resources, finance, markets, and nutrition education.
Mr Koo said the project would enhance agricultural productivity through access to improved climate-smart farming practices and extension services, strengthen livelihood diversification through value addition and agro-processing, and promote nutrition education and behavioural change among households.
He noted that the intervention would also encourage financial inclusion through participation in VSLAs to provide accessible and reliable financial services for rural women.
He called on development partners, traditional authorities, extension officers, and beneficiaries to support the initiative to ensure long-term sustainability and meaningful impact on women, families, and communities.
Mr Abdul-Mutalib Zakaria, the Tamale Metropolitan Director, Business Advisory Centre of the Ghana Enterprise Agency, expressed the Agency’s readiness to continue supporting the project as it had done during the first phase.
He said the activities of VLD aligned closely with the mandate of the Agency in promoting entrepreneurship and improving livelihoods, especially among rural women.
Mr Zakaria said monitoring visits to beneficiary communities under Phase One revealed that women involved in the VSLA groups demonstrated high commitment, accountability, and strong record-keeping practices, and added that many beneficiaries had ventured into off-farm income-generating activities such as grasscutter, rabbit, and guinea fowl rearing, and were performing well.
He added that some women groups had successfully differentiated and marketed their rice products and attracted bulk buyers from cities such as Kumasi and Accra.
Mr Zakaria expressed optimism that Phase Two of the project would scale up the interventions to generate higher returns on investments and contribute to reducing poverty among rural women in the beneficiary communities.
GNA
Edited by Eric K. Amoh/Benjamin Mensah