The Network of Women in Growth (NEWIG Ghana), with support from The Coca-Cola Foundation, has successfully concluded the first phase of a comprehensive skills training program in the Greater Accra Region.
The initiative aims to empower marginalized women by providing them with essential vocational and business management skills to enhance their economic opportunities.
The training, part of the “Economic Inclusion of Marginalized Women Living in Urban Centers” project, provided 120 women with hands-on experience in mushroom farming, soap making, and snail rearing.
This program exceeds its initial target of 100 beneficiaries and underscores the commitment of NEWIG Ghana and The Coca-Cola Foundation to promoting economic resilience among Ghanaian women.
Speaking at the graduation event of the trainees at the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly, Ms. Mawulawoe Awity, Executive Director of NEWIG Ghana, stressed the broader goals of the project.
“We are dedicated to economically empowering women through skills development. With funding from The Coca-Cola Foundation, we have targeted regions such as Greater Accra, Western, Northern, and Ashanti to provide essential training. This initiative is to equip women with vocational skills and offer them business management and financial literacy education,” she said.
Ms. Mawulawoe Awity, Executive Director of NEWIG Ghana, addressing trainees at the graduation ceremony
The Executive Director added that the organization is “providing training in business management and financial literacy to equip women with essential skills for managing their enterprises. We have collaborated with organizations such as SSNIT and Absa Bank to educate women on the importance of saving, especially for retirement, and to provide insights into available resources.”
Madam Mawusi Nudekor, Director of Ghana TVET Service, who chaired the graduation ceremony, disclosed that the TVET Service is initiating steps to standardize the curricula and certification in vocational training to ensure trainees can gain formal employment opportunities.
Madam Mawusi Nudekor, Director of Ghana TVET Service
“Our goal is to ensure that participants receive recognized qualifications that enhance their employability and economic opportunities. By aligning training initiatives with the TVET Commission’s curriculum, we aim to provide proficiency certificates that are aligned with the national qualification framework,” she explained.
Madam Nudekor also noted the critical role of women in economic development while lauding the efforts of NEWIG Ghana and its partners in conducting the training. She stated that “empowering women through TVET directly benefits them, their families, and their communities, contributing to economic strength and poverty reduction in the country.”
As part of the graduation package, the trainees received certificates of participation and business start-up kits to begin their businesses.
The event was graced by Hon. Albert Boakye Okyere, Municipal Chief Executive of the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly, who praised the efforts of the participants and the impact of the training.
“Today’s graduation ceremony speaks of the need for support for women, particularly the unemployed, in areas of skills training. I commend The Coca-Cola Foundation for its support in empowering marginalized women through this project,” he intimated.
Hon. Albert Boakye Okyere, Municipal Chief Executive of the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly
For her part, Ms. Mary Oforiwaa, a beneficiary from Ashaiman, expressed her gratitude, saying, “NEWIG Ghana provided an opportunity for women to receive training in various handicrafts with support from The Coca-Cola Foundation. I chose to learn how to farm snails, and after the training, I realized I had acquired a valuable skill. Moreover, I received initial capital to start my own business, which made me very happy to be part of NEWIG Ghana.”
Launched in January 2024, the “Economic Inclusion of Marginalized Women Living in Urban Centers” seeks to provide business training to deprived women, including those with disabilities, in Ghana’s urban areas.
The two-year project is geared toward training and supporting 300 women from communities of need in Accra, Sekondi-Takoradi, Kumasi, and Tamale in three trades, including mushroom farming, snail farming, and soap making.
It will also empower and train 2,500 others to start their own businesses by equipping them with relevant business management skills such as customer service, record keeping, time management, product packaging and entrepreneurship, as well as raising awareness about gender and the role of the informal sector in socio-economic development.
Through dedicated efforts in skills development and capacity building, NEWIG Ghana and its partners are making significant strides towards empowering women and strengthening communities across the nation.
