By Philip Tengzu
Wa, (UW/R), Sept. 19, GNA – The Social Investment Fund (SIF) has appealed to stakeholders in the Upper West Region to support and actively participate in the implementation of the Ghana Women and Youth Employment and Social Cohesion (GWYESCO) Programme.
Mr Abass Nurudeen, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SIF, made the appeal in Wa at the weekend during a regional stakeholder engagement on the programme.
The engagement brought together Heads of Departments and Agencies, representatives of security agencies, Civil Society Organisations and the Ghana Federation of Persons with Disability (GFPD), among others.
The GWYESCO programme is being implemented in seven regions – Upper West, Upper East, Northern, North East, Savannah, Central and Eastern.
The four-year, $71-million results-based financing programme seeks to promote employment among women and young people while strengthening social cohesion, peace and stability in selected regions.
It is expected to impact more than 30,000 women and young people and create at least 22,000 self-employment opportunities and 6,000 indirect jobs.
Mr Nurudeen said the programme would provide market-driven skills training, access to finance, business development support and market linkages to enable beneficiaries to secure sustainable employment and promote social cohesion.
He said 10,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) would also be trained and supported with business development services and credit facilities.
The programme would also establish and equip seven state-of-the-art Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centres and recreational facilities.
Mr Shaiku Mumuni Damma, Upper West Regional Coordinating Director, in a speech on behalf of the Regional Minister, commended the government and project funders for the intervention.
He expressed hope that the programme would lead to sustainable jobs, viable enterprises and improved household incomes.
Mr Damma said the programme was particularly relevant to the region because women and young people continued to face barriers to accessing capital, technical and digital skills and sustainable employment opportunities.
He urged that the programme be tailored to the economic realities and opportunities of communities in the region rather than adopting a uniform approach.
He identified agriculture and agro-processing, shea and other non-traditional agricultural commodities as areas with potentially viable value chains for women and youth.
“The objective should not merely be to train beneficiaries. The training must lead to productivity; productivity must lead to enterprise growth; enterprise growth must create sustainable employment; and employment must translate into improved household incomes and resilience,” he said.
Mr Prosper Puo-Ire, Deputy CEO of SIF, reiterated the importance of peace and social stability to achieving the programme’s objectives of improving the livelihoods of women and young people.
He said the programme sought to promote social cohesion by addressing communal, ethnic and youth conflicts, farmer-herder disputes, competition over natural resources and threats associated with violent extremism, among others.
The programme is being implemented by SIF in partnership with GCB Bank, Consolidated Bank Ghana, ARB Apex Bank, National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), Northern Development Authority (NDA) and RCOMSDEP, with funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB).
GNA
Edited by Audrey Dekalu
Reporter: Philip Tengzu