Rural women mainly in the informal sector in the Kassena Nankana west and Kassena Nankana municipality numbering 11034 women working in 42 registered cooperative societies and 424 group enterprises are breaking all odds under a parent forest and farm based organisation called Kassena Nankana Cooperative Baobab processors Union Limited ( KANBAOCU) to improved on the climate nature in the north through Business development and sustainable environmental management and practice.
KANBAOCU aims at increasing productivity, profitability and savings capacity of its members by promoting sustainable use of its members use of non-timber forest products, promoting sustainable agriculture through organic and ecological farming practices, sustainable environment management practices and supporting the formation, training and effective functioning of village savings and loan Associations.
With support from forest and farm facility (FFF) to assist forest and farm producers under an umbrella called Ghana federation of smallholder forest and farm producers ( GhaFFap) which KANBAOCU is a founding member to elevate the poverty in the north as well as empowering women in productive enterprises.
These women under this initiatives, are self economic independent with their involvement in small and medium sized businesses as well as belonging to the various village savings and loans enterprises which helps them in sustaining and managing their businesses.
The production of non-timber forest products like the products from Baobab, Moringa and other wild tree products is creating more economic and environmental opportunities for residents in the Kassena Nankana areas especially women who are the main actors and stakeholders in this enterprise.
The forest and farm facility country Coach, Sophie Grouwels and other officials from Ghana forest and farm producers made a working visit to some selected forest and farm producers organisations in the country.
Sophie Grouwels and her team were given a rousing welcome at KANBAOCU in Paga where thousands of women have benefited from the four key strategic initiatives such as GhaFFap National Dialogue series, sustainable financial transformation, green Ghana GhaFFaP Charcoal producers in forest landscape restoration.
” Am very excited with the project implementation in this area and the number of women engaged in the project makes this particular forest and farm producers organisations relevant in the total concept of the entire initiative”, Sophie Grouwels said.
” Am also happy that the project is reducing poverty in this area through the massive participation of women though men are also included in this”, Sophie Grouwels added.
The team led by Forest and farm facility country coach later engaged with leadership of KANBAOCU where a power point presentation of the activities, successes, objectives and wayforward of the organisation was presented to the team. The Forest and farm facility team made some inputs and observations after the presentation for wider understanding and improvement in the running of the organisation. (KANBAOCU)
Mohammed Rabiu Tanko/ Paga
