Ninety-three young women in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region have received start-up kits to begin small-scale food processing businesses after completing a training programme aimed at improving their livelihoods.
The beneficiaries, drawn from communities including Sumbrungu, Yeobongo, Zaare, and Yorogo, were supported under the Business in a Box (BizBox) project being implemented by the Business Resource Center of the Bolgatanga Municipal Assembly in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation.
Speaking to A1 Radio during a brief ceremony to hand over the equipment, Head of the Business Resource Center, Naomi Panwum, explained that the intervention is designed to help young women between the ages of 15 and 35 secure dignified employment through food processing.
“The beneficiaries took part in food processing training, particularly in soybean processing into kebab, milk and other products, as well as sweet potato kelewele and coated groundnuts.”
According to her, the kits provided include essential tools such as blenders, sealing machines, aprons, gloves, and weighing scales to help the beneficiaries begin production and improve the quality of their products.
“At the end of the day, we want to see them engage in dignified jobs so they will not find themselves in activities that will not help them,” she noted. “The essence of this project is to provide dignified jobs for young girls so they can build sustainable livelihoods.”
Madam Panwum indicated that the beneficiaries were selected through an open application process. Interested applicants applied through an online portal, after which they were screened based on interest in food processing and the project’s age requirement. She added that many of the beneficiaries have already started producing soybean kebabs and other products for sale in markets, expressing optimism that the start-up kits would further strengthen their businesses.
Ms. Panwum also encouraged the beneficiaries to make good use of the equipment, noting that the items were expensive and had been provided to them free of charge.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Bolgatanga, Roland Atanga Ayoo, described the intervention as an important step in empowering women to become self-reliant.
“These are start-up packs meant to equip the women after the training so they can enter into the business world,” he said. “It is a way of providing them with the needed resources to kick-start their businesses and support themselves.”
He, however, cautioned the beneficiaries to take proper care of the equipment and ensure they are used for their intended purpose.
“The equipment is not meant for sale,” he emphasized. “If you don’t take good care of it and it spoils, you spoil your own business. It is in your interest to maintain them well so that you can benefit from them.”
Mr. Ayoo also revealed that there are plans to expand the initiative to reach more women in the municipality. One of the beneficiaries, Adongo Elizabeth from the Sumbrungu community, thanked the government and project implementers for the support, saying it would help her contribute to her family’s upkeep. Another beneficiary, Leticia Anamatue, said she previously had no trade but now feels empowered to start a business that could sustain her.
A1 Radio | 101.1Mhz | Joshua Asaah | Bolgatanga
