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YOVI holds networking meeting for 120 women in agro-sector
Participants at the meeting
The Youth Development and Voice Initiative (YOVI), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has held a meeting to empower smallholder women aggregators and agro-processors in the maize, rice, groundnut, and shea value chains.
The two-day meeting, held in collaboration with governmental bodies, industry experts, and civil society organisations, convened 120 women beneficiaries alongside key stakeholders and representatives from the Sagnarigu Municipal and Nanton District of the Northern Region.
This was contained in a YOVI statement signed by Mr Hussein Rahman, its Executive Director, and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Tamale on Thursday.
The statement said, “The meeting, which was held on January 3-4, marks an important achievement as the fourth milestone since the inception of the Increasing Competitiveness of Smallholder Women Aggregators and Processors along the maize, rice, groundnut and Shea value chains for increased prosperity project in October 2023.
The project, which is supported by the United States Agency for International Development, (USAID) under the Ghana Trade and Investment Activity (GTIA) through the Nathan Associates, was being implemented in selected communities in the Sagnarigu Municipality and the Nanton District.
The statement said the primary objective of the meeting was to strengthen networks between women in agricultural value chains and financial service providers, input suppliers, reliable markets, and supporting government institutions.
It said, “Key achievements from this meeting include commitments from government representatives to support women in agro-processing, emphasising gender equality and economic empowerment.”
It said, “In addition, insights shared regarding product certification and quality standards by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) were highlighted as crucial for product credibility and consumer confidence.”
It said a significant milestone of the meeting was the registration of 20 participants, who expressed keen interest in formalising their small businesses.
The statement said representatives from restaurants and financial institutions pledged their support for collaborative effort to create enhanced market access opportunities for women entrepreneurs.
It said YOVI remained committed to fostering growth and empowerment within the agricultural sector, aiming to provide continued support and platforms for the advancement of women in agro-processing.
—GNA
A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Sammy Ayeh has picked up nomination forms to contest for the position of Deputy National Communications Officer position.
Announcing his intention, Dr. Ayeh said he is offering himself to help communicate the party’s vision clearly and connect its message with the aspirations of Ghanaians.
He expressed deep gratitude to the party’s National Communications Officer, Lawyer Sammy Gyamfi, describing him as an able leader on whose shoulders he has risen.
“His exceptional leadership, mentorship and confidence in me have shaped my journey and strengthened my resolve to serve,” Dr. Ayeh stated.
He said if elected, he will seek to build on that foundation by strengthening research-driven communication, empowering grassroots communicators, and enhancing strategic media engagement.
Dr. Ayeh humbly appealed to party members and supporters for their support.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
The Data Protection Commission has called on the Minority Caucus in Parliament, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, JoyNews and other media houses to protect the personal information of 1,964 Ghanaians evacuated from South Africa.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, the Commission expressed concern over the public disclosure of the evacuees’ personal details, including their names, signatures and records of financial assistance received.
It warned that making such information public could expose the affected individuals to identity theft, fraud and other forms of harm, especially given the threats to their safety that some of them may have faced.
The Commission explained that the 1992 Constitution protects the dignity and privacy of every individual. It also cited the Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843), which sets out rules for the lawful collection, use and disclosure of personal information.
While acknowledging the importance of transparency, parliamentary oversight, the right to information and press freedom, the Commission stressed that these principles do not automatically justify the unrestricted publication of personal details.
It said the disclosure of the records by the Minority Caucus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, JoyNews and other media organisations must be assessed based on the law, the purpose of the disclosure and the privacy rights of the individuals involved.
The Commission further noted that although the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Parliament are registered data controllers in good standing, their registration does not exempt them from their legal responsibilities under the Data Protection Act.
It has therefore urged all the parties involved to take appropriate steps to protect the affected individuals, including immediately restricting access to or removing personal details from publicly available records where their continued disclosure is not legally justified.
The Commission announced plans to conduct a regulatory review to determine whether the disclosures had a lawful basis, what safeguards were applied and whether the privacy rights of the evacuees had been adequately protected.
It said it would engage the relevant parties as part of the review and take appropriate regulatory action if any breach of the law is established.
The Commission reiterated that protecting personal information and respecting human dignity must remain central to efforts to promote public accountability.
By: Jacob Aggrey
