By Caleb Kuleke
Ho, Sept. 01, GNA – Global Action for Women Empowerment (GLOWA), not-for-profit non-governmental organisation (NGO) has provided training for women groups in Ho Municipal and Adaklu District on how to develop livelihood empowerment advocacy plan.
The participants were equipped with relevant information that would make them become legitimate stakeholders, strong advocates, and reliable partners in their respective communities, municipal and district.
Their capacities were built, and leadership skills strengthened so they could position themselves well to positively influence decision-making and governance processes in their various groups and communities.
The beneficiaries were schooled on the importance of forming cooperatives, associations, and networks and the need to legitimise the existing ones for easy access to financial facilities to undertake their businesses.
Ms Ewoenam Atutonu, Executive Director for GLOWA, underscoring the importance of the training said it would help the women in setting strategic priorities and planned adequately to achieve their goals.
She said equipping the groups with the requisite knowledge was crucial to enabling them to develop and maintain collaborative and influential relationships with a growing number of stakeholders in their various areas.
The Executive Director said the training was also aimed at boosting collaboration and networking opportunities and exchange of good practices among the participants.
“Our objective is to empower them in developing an efficient livelihood empowerment advocacy plan for the engagement of district assembly duty bearers and other internal and external stakeholders to boost their external visibility and the groups’ internal coherence.”
Mr Daniel Tetteh, a facilitator at the programme told Ghana News Agency, groups or associations could easily have access to financial facilities when they were legitimised and have proper livelihood improvement advocacy plan.
He said no financial institutions or organisations would give support to groups or associations that were not legitimate, adding that district assemblies also looked for such documents before recommending groups for support.
Mr Tetteh said livelihood improvement advocacy plan was necessary in guiding and helping groups or associations in demanding support from duty-bearers and carrying out their activities to become economically independent.
He said the efforts of women, especially those in the rural areas, were not yielding the needed results because they did not have equitable access to resources, making most of them to depend on their husbands or family members for support.
Mr Tetteh charged participants to see the workshop as an eye opener so they would be able to organised themselves well to get the needed support to do their businesses.
Madam Selase Adolphine Donudenu, Head of Business Advisory Committee at the Ho Municipal Assembly, taking the participant through business management skills asked them to ensure proper packaging of their goods.
She said most traders found it difficult to get customers for their goods because the goods were not properly packaged to attract the customers.
Some participants who spoke to the Ghana News Agency said the training has equipped them with much knowledge to undertake a successful business and have expressed their profound gratitude to GLOWA.
The training forms part of GLOWA’s Action for Voice, Influence, and Inclusive Development project with sponsorship from William and Flora Hewlett Foundation through STAR Ghana Foundation.
GNA