Skip to main content

USDA-Ghana Poultry Project helps farmers to raise GHc653,000 through savings and loans scheme

 


The Ghana Poultry Project (GPP) supported Entrepreneurial Savings and Loans Groups (ESLG) have raised GHc653,000 this years to fund their activities.

Announcing the figure during a national learning forum organized by GPP in Accra, the president of the Women in Poultry Value Chain (WIPVaC), Dr. Victoria Norgbey said it is obvious that communities are ready to support themselves through the provision of soft loans to support their businesses.

She noted that the ESLG has helped to sustain poultry farmers businesses, adding that, “the impact here is that instead of going to the bank to take loans with high interest, the members decide among ourselves how interest rates should be set, sometimes 10%, depending on the group”.

Ghana Poultry Project, WIPVaC, GPP, 

Dr. Victoria Norgbey, WIPVaC President

She therefore cautioned members not to over price the loans to facilitate repayments and sustainability of the scheme.

One very important thing to bear in mind is affordability of your loans, if you gave out your loans on high interest rate then you defeat the purpose of the scheme”, she cautioned.

She explained that membership of the ESLG is voluntarily and community based to ensure a common purpose and sustainability. She advised the group members that, for the ESLG to succeed, they need to know and trust one another.

Read also: Fighting Bird flu in Ghana: Veterinarian Without Borders, Ghana Poultry Network sensitize Women in Poultry Value Chain

ESLG learning forum

Ghana Poultry Project, WIPVaC, GPP, 

The learning forum which is the first of its kind is a platform to bring together savings and loans groups that were formed during the implementation of the Ghana Poultry Project to share knowledge and learn best practices from among themselves.

Christian Koduah, a coordinator of USDA-GPP, said the learning forum provides a platform to afford the groups who are mainly poultry farmers to voice out their challenges experienced during the formation and implementation of the ESLG as well get to know how others overcame similar challenges.

He explained that the formation of the ESLG was aimed at providing self-grown financial support for their poultry businesses.

Basically, it was for them to save and give themselves loans to support their businesses,” he emphasized.

He noted that access to finance and the cost of finance has been a challenge for most businesses and poultry farmers are no exception. “It also difficult if not impossible for poultry farmers to get insurance for their line of business because of the risks involve,” he added.

Ghana Poultry Project, WIPVaC, GPP,  

Participants at the learning forum

Participating in the learning forum via zoom were groups from Bono East, Bono, Ashanti and Upper West regions. In total, the ESLG has 36 groups within Accra, 13 in both Ashanti and Bono regions. A total of 153 members (78 males and 75 females) participated in the learning forum.

An ESLG is usually a group of 15-30 people, who pool their savings in a fund from which members can borrow at an interest rate during an agreed period of time.

The social benefits provided by ESLG are well known. The most important one is a reinforced sense of agency for especially women. Thanks to the ESLG, women are able to manage businesses and participate with greater confidence in households and community decisions.

Many reports also highlight more harmonious relationships between spouses, thanks to the support ESLG provide to households for food, health, and school fee coverage.

GPP

Ghana Poultry Project, WIPVaC, GPP,  

Carianne de Boer, Chief of Party-GPP

The five-year Ghana Poultry Program (GPP), funded by the United Sates Department of Agriculture (USDA) and implemented by ACDI/VOCA and TechnoServe, was established to increase the competitiveness of the domestic production and processing of poultry meat and eggs through the increase of agriculture productivity in the poultry value chain through capacity building, improving input markets, and promoting strategic investments and private-public partnerships as well as increase the trade of poultry products by improving product quality, increasing production efficiency, and improving market linkages.

 

 

 

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Nestlé Ghana Limited Wins Overall Best Industrial Company Of The Year at 13th AGI Industry & Quality Awards

  Nestlé Ghana Limited has been honored with four prestigious awards at the 13th Association of Ghana Industry and Quality Awards ceremony. The event, held in an esteemed setting, gathered prominent figures from Ghana’s industrial sector. Amidst the anticipation, Nestlé Ghana emerged as one of the evening’s notable winners, securing accolades in several key categories. This recognition underscores Nestlé Ghana’s relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation, marking a significant milestone that highlights the company’s substantial contributions to the manufacturing industry in Ghana. Nestlé Ghana's exceptional performance was acknowledged with the following awards: Overall Best National Quality Award, Diamond Category (Food) Overall Best Practices in Sustainable Manufacturing Best Company (Food Sector) Overall Industrial Company of the Year, affirming its status as a leader not only within the food sector but also across Ghana's entire industrial landscape. This success is a ...

Anglogold Ashanti Obuasi Mine tops 2024 Sustainability & Social Investment Awards

 AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine has confirmed its status as sustainability champions by sweeping nine awards, the most won by a company at the 2024 Sustainability & Social Investment Awards (SSI) held at Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra. The feat comes on the heels of a dominant performance in last year's event where AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine swept seven awards. The SSI Awards organised by Ianmatsun Global Services recognizes the most outstanding sustainability, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives in the country and beyond as well as the best teams and individuals who brought them to life. This year's event, which was the 8th edition, was under the theme "Climate Action Now: Accelerating Decarbonization and Building Resilience". The awards won by AngloGold Ashanti on the night include SSI Company of the Year, Best Company in Women Empowerment (project), SSI Company of the Year ( Environment), Best Co...

Zoomlion Advocates Community & Gender inclusive waste management for Climate Action at COP 29

 Africa's waste management giant, Zoomlion Ghana Limited has advocated for an integrated approach to waste management that considers the interest of community members, women and vulnerable groups. James Deku, a Communications Officer of Zoomlion Ghana Limited made this call at the 29th session of the Conference Of Parties (COP 29) of the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) at Azerbaijan, Baku whiles speaking on the topic "Community-Driven and Gender Inclusive approaches to waste management for Climate Action ". He said the waste sector is a major contributor of methane emissions which is a potent greenhouse gas causing climate change hence the need to manage waste in a manner that considers the interest of all stakeholders. Zoomlion's waste management model is designed and operated in a manner that considers the interest of all stakeholders. Through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, local authorities engage community members in clea...