Africa Women International inaugurated

Takoradi, Oct.25, GNA - Madam Sophia Horner-Sam, Deputy Western Regional Minister, on Tuesday called on women to access credit schemes to develop their businesses or use them as start up capital. She said the Government had introduced micro-credit schemes to assist peasant farmers, petty traders and small-scale business operators.

Madam Horner-Sam made the call when inaugurating the African Women International, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), dedicated to assist women to alleviate and eradicate poverty, at Takoradi. She said special credit facilities had been established solely for women and being administered by the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs.


Madam Horner-Sam said, poverty alleviation underpinned the National Development Agenda as contained in the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) and urged the NGO to motivate women to take advantage of these opportunities.


Madam Horner-Sam said some women had no reason to be poor, because they were not prepared to work to make good living but want to be dependent on others especially men for their livelihood.


She said if such women could change their mind-set more women would be actively engaged in income generating activities.

Bishop Dr George Ferguson-Laing of the Living Praise Ministries, said poverty was a canker that had eaten into the African society. Speaking on the topic "Women With One Voice Against Poverty That Affect Them In Africa", he said, women were most affected by poverty on the continent.


Bishop Ferguson-Laing said women should therefore, be equipped with employable and creative skills to add value to their talents to assist them to overcome poverty.


He said women should set up an Investment Portfolio Holding dedicated to empower women, while they venture into new businesses and establish credit unions and banks.


Bishop Ferguson-Laing said, "If women continue to play their traditional role of bearing children and keeping the house, many doors would be closed to them because the landscape is changing."