Hights Enterprise, an agro-processing firm based in the Bolgatanga Municipality in collaboration with GIZ of the German Cooperation has supported over 1,500 women in the Upper East and North East Regions with 2.1 metric tons of certified groundnut and Soya bean seeds for cultivation.
Since commencing operations in 2019, Heights Enterprise has had GIZ help them in the installation of a 500-litre edible oil refinery to help provide a ready market and add value to the produce.
The GIZ collaboration forms part of the German Cooperation’s Invest for Jobs initiative, which seeks to empower women in the two regions economically.
With women said to be involved in producing nearly 70% of Ghana’s food crops, they face several challenges including access to high-quality certified seeds.
This then necessitated the support for women smallholder farmers in the oil crop value chain, such as soybeans, baobab, groundnuts, and Shea among others.
Aside from the provision of the certified seeds, the women have also had their capacity built in processing, machinery, and formalization of cooperatives which involved registering them to help them have access to other government schemes.
Speaking to Journalists on the sidelines of the distribution of the seeds, the Chief Executive Officer of Hights Enterprise, Mathew Akayeti Naamlebna, explained that his outfit adopted a participatory guaranteed system that allows for the use of local materials to help in practicing organic farming.
“One challenge we identified that women faced is that they do not have the manpower and sometimes the right seed to plant so we started in our small way by contributing to raise money for seeds for them so they will cultivate. We trained them further on organic farming practices so that they don’t use synthetic chemicals in growing and what we explored was this community-based organic certification called Participatory Guaranteed System,” he stated.
“We trained them to use the cow dung and the animal droppings. It is through this initiative that GIZ saw the need to support us. So, we are working with 1,500 women. They have had further training and GIZ has supported them with a 500-litre oil refinery equipment.”
Technical Advisor of Invest for Jobs at GIZ, Ms. Eunice Agyewah Agyepong, emphasized the need to ensure more women are empowered economically to improve their incomes.
She said the initiative also seeks to address many challenges women face including access to high-quality seeds for improved production.
“In the North East and Upper East regions, many women in the oil crop value chain, such as soybeans, baobab, and shea nuts, among others, rely on seeds saved from previous years’ yields, which are often poor in quality, leading to low productivity and decreased income.”
“To address these challenges, the German Development Cooperation and Hights Enterprise Limited, within the framework of Invest for Jobs, the brand of the Special Initiative ‘Decent Work for a Just Transition’, supports women cooperatives by providing certified seeds, capacity building in processing, machinery, and personal protective equipment (PPE).” She noted.
Speaking on behalf of the various women groups from various parts of the two regions, Florence Ayariga, expressed gratitude for the support them. She added that they will work hard to get the needed produce.
