News
Women farmers acquire skills in soap making, financial management
- /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 27
https://spectator.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/The-association-gives-the-famers-a-means-to-make-profit.jpg&description=Women farmers acquire skills in soap making, financial management', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
- Share
- Tweet /home/u249204778/domains/spectator.com.gh/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 72
https://spectator.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/The-association-gives-the-famers-a-means-to-make-profit.jpg&description=Women farmers acquire skills in soap making, financial management', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
Farmers in Adansi South, in the Ashanti Region, known for their production of rice, cassava, plantain, maize and vegetables, used to make little profit from their farms, due to little or no access to market opportunities.
To improve the farmers’ livelihoods, the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) programme through the Kokoo Pa Farmers Association has given the farmers a means to make a profit for themselves and their families.
Kokoo Pa Farmers Association (formerly known as AHANSUCOFA) was formed in 2009 by cocoa farmers from an initial 10 communities in the Ahafo Ano North and Ahafo Ano South districts.
It is supported by the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) which is a partnership involving the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations and other partners.
The women acquired new skills in soap making from cocoa waste materials such as the cocoa pod, and were trained also in financial management.
The beneficiaries, according to the association, are now able to “build a strong business in soap making while managing their finances through the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) method of saving their profit.”
The Association is membership-based with about 8,600 farmers, 5,676 men and 2,924 women in seven districts in the Ashanti (Adansi South district), Brong, Ahafo, and Western regions.
The association promotes cocoa beans production to meet member farmers’ livelihood needs.
The FFF programme supports the Kokoo Pa farmers association to promote women entrepreneurship and access to markets and finance, through training in different livelihood ventures of soap making, pastries, and the establishment of VSLA in three communities for financial inclusion.
Since November 2020, through the training given to the farmers, the farmers’ association using VSLA has improved the attitude of savings and financial management in their businesses. The association has helped farmers build skills in entrepreneurship.
The FFF programme led by FAO is a partnership launched in 2012 to improve rural farming, forestry, and farmers’ organisations through collective action.
By Spectator Reporter
The Director of Legal Affairs of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gary Nimako Marfo, has questioned who will bear the cost of conducting presidential and parliamentary primaries following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the party’s delegate system.
Speaking to journalists, Mr. Nimako Marfo said he would not immediately comment on the ruling, adding that he wanted to wait for the full details before sharing his views.
“I don’t want to comment on it now. Let’s wait,” he said.
When asked about the Supreme Court’s decision that all members in good standing should vote in party elections, he shifted attention to the financial implications of implementing the ruling.
According to him, allowing all members in good standing to vote would increase the cost of organising internal party elections.
He questioned who would pay for the expanded electoral process.
“Who is going to pay for the cost of the elections?” he asked.
When a journalist suggested that political parties would bear the cost, Mr. Nimako Marfo replied, “Let’s wait and see.”
The comments come after the Supreme Court ruled that political parties should allow all members in good standing to vote in their internal elections, a decision that is expected to expand participation but also increase the financial and logistical demands of organising presidential and parliamentary primaries.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Supreme Court of Ghana has declared the delegate system used by political parties to elect presidential and parliamentary candidates unconstitutional.
In a 5-2 majority decision delivered, the Court ruled that the long-standing system violates democratic principles and ordered all political parties to ensure every registered, card-bearing member participates in presidential and parliamentary primaries.
The ruling brings to an end decades of internal party elections conducted by a limited number of delegates.
The suit was filed by former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng; veteran politician Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe; and former Minister for Lands and Forestry, Dr. Christine Amoako-Nuamah.
The plaintiffs argued that the delegate system created inequality among party members by granting voting rights to a privileged minority while excluding ordinary members in good standing.
They told the Court that restricting voting rights to delegates was inconsistent with the democratic principles enshrined in the 1992 Constitution.
The Attorney-General’s Department supported the suit and urged the Court to adopt a “one member, one vote” approach.
In its submission, the State argued that political parties perform an important public function in Ghana’s democratic framework and that their internal electoral processes must reflect constitutional values of equality, participation and universal suffrage.
The Attorney-General further submitted that expanding voting rights to all registered members would strengthen accountability and deepen internal democracy within political parties.
The judgment means that going forward, presidential and parliamentary candidates will be selected by all registered members of a political party, instead of by delegates alone.
Political parties are expected to review their constitutions and structures to comply with the Court’s directive ahead of the 2028 general elections.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
