CARE Ghana, under its PROSPER III project funded by Cargill, has handed over agro-processing equipment to women producer groups in five cocoa-growing communities across the Ashanti and Central Regions.
The event, held at Kufuor Camp in the Atwima Mponua District, reaffirmed CARE’s commitment to empowering rural women and improving food security through access to inclusive markets and productive resources.
According to a statement issued by CARE Ghana and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the support included three rice threshers, 10 tarpaulins, five weighing scales, and three motorized tricycles to bolster rice processing activities in Kufuor Camp, Pasoro, and KD Sreso-communities within the Atwima Mponua District.
The statement further indicated that a prior handover, conducted on April 29 and 30, provided cassava processing machines and tricycles to women gari processing groups in Tonkoase and Ayibo in the Adansi South and Assin South Districts, respectively.
The provision of this equipment follows a market assessment by PROSPER III, which identified the lack of modern tools as a major barrier to growth and income diversification, especially in rice and cassava value chains.
Dignitaries present at the event included Cargill’s Sustainability Manager, Mr. Samuel Apana; Sustainability Coordinator, Mr. Joshua Quansah; Ashanti Regional Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Mr. Godfrey Appiah Acheampong; Atwima Mponua District Coordinating Director, Mr. Samuel K. Gyan; CARE Ghana’s Head of Programs, Mr. Zakaria Yakubu; Programme Team Leader, Ms. Mercy Sika Krow; traditional leaders, women producer groups, and community members.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Apana noted, “Cargill believes that empowering women is one of the most effective ways to ensure financial security for families and to give women a greater voice in household decision-making.”
He encouraged the women to strengthen their cooperatives to engage more effectively with government and development partners.
“The equipment is a tool to boost productivity and reinforce the structure of your producer groups,” he added.
He urged the beneficiaries to adopt a strong maintenance culture to ensure the sustainability of the machines.
“With these agro-processing tools, women in these communities are now better positioned to increase productivity and improve household incomes,” he emphasized.
Launched in 2016, the Promoting a Sustainable and Food Secured World (PROSPER) project, an initiative by Cargill and CARE, seeks to promote inclusive governance, and enhance women’s participation in decision-making.
It also aims to improve food and nutrition security, and expand access to education and child protection, especially in cocoa-producing communities.
The initiative targets 360,200 individuals across 265 communities in 15 districts within the Western North, Ashanti, and Central Regions. To date, it has reached over 77,301 people, 69 percent of whom are women.
CARE International is a global humanitarian and development organization that has been working in Ghana since 1994. Its operations focus on women and girls, climate resilience, agriculture, and inclusive governance.
Cargill has been sourcing cocoa from Ghana for more than 40 years and, in 2008, opened a state-of-the-art cocoa processing facility in Tema.
The company currently employs over 400 permanent and contracted workers who process cocoa for local and international food and confectionery markets.
Cargill’s animal nutrition unit also supports Ghana’s tilapia industry through the provision of aqua feed.
In 2016, Cargill established a licensed buying company to introduce innovative trading mechanisms with farmers, emphasizing sustainability and traceability.
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