By Anthony Apubeo, GNA
Nyangua (UE), Oct 4, GNA – Women in some rural communities in the Kassena-Nankana Municipal and Kassena-Nankana West District in the Upper East Region have appealed to government through the Municipal and District Assemblies to extend the rural electrification project to their communities.
This they believe will enhance their shea butter and baobab seed processing business.
They said if the electricity could not be connected to their various homes, they would be happy to have it connected to their processing factories to help them remain in business and improve upon their livelihood.
Lack of electricity in the rural communities in the area is affecting shea butter and baobab seed processing business undertaken by the rural women.
It is one of the major income generating activities for women of the Kassena-Nankana areas and its environs.
Most women depend on its products to support their families in the provision of basic needs including; food, payment of school fees and medical bills among others, however, they are faced with numerous challenges such as lack of electricity and traditional land tenure systems among others.
The women groups are supported by the Organisation for Indigenous Initiatives and Sustainability (ORGIIS-Ghana), an environment focused non-governmental organisation with funding support from Forest and Farm Facility (FFF), to produce quality baobab oil and shea butter for export.
The women have been able to mobilise resources through their own initiative to construct a processing factories for the shea butter in their communities, however the structures were left to stand idle due to lack of electricity.
This was revealed at Nyangua Community during the Kassena-Nankana Cooperative Union community level advocacy programme organized by ORGIIS-Ghana with financial and technical support from the FFF.
Mrs Lardi Alantia, the Assistant Chairperson of the Kolbita Cooperative women, said Development partners had promised the women baobab processing machinery when their factories were built, but had since not been connected to electricity.
She said apart from that, traditional land tenure system in the areas also limited their efforts to increase production as it did not allow women to own farm lands.
Mrs Alantia, explained that women were denied the opportunity to pick shea nuts from the farms of extended family members especially if they were widows.
Mr Julius Awaregya, the Coordinator, ORGIIS, stated that women groups in four communities Nyangua, Kuliya, Bugani and Kazigu had built the factories, but could not receive the machines while others installed the machines, but could not use them for lack of electricity.
He said the baobab and shea butter business had the potential to turn the fortunes of the rural women and improve their income levels and added that the Tree Aid had promised to supply the Nyangua community with a miller, crazier and kneader.
The Coordinator said through the support from his outfit and development partners, the women were able to export 40 metric tonnes of baobab to the United Kingdom (UK) last year and this year and were expected to supply 800 metric tonnes, 25 metric tonnes and 2 metric tonnes of baobab to Wilmer, a Singaporean company, Bobo in Burkina Faso and Turkey respectively.
The coordinator said if the assemblies together with the Ministry of Energy were to support rural agro-processing value chain, especially rura electrification project, shea butter processing would have been a multi-billion dollar venture and made international impact.
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