Essikado-Ketan NDC PC establishes Micro-Finance Credit Scheme for women

As part of her avowed commitment to empowering women through poverty alleviation, the National Democratic Congress Parliamentary Candidate for the Essikado-Ketan Constituency in the Western Region, Prof. Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah, has designed the "Obaatanpa" Micro-Finance Credit Scheme for traders in the area.

The Obatanpa credit scheme which is being piloted in 8 communities, has already benefitted 120 traders.

The credit scheme is expected to benefit the over 25,000 women in the constituency involved in all forms of petty trading which will help them to expand their businesses.

Beneficiary communities are; Kansaworodo, Essipong, Kojokrom, Essikado and Mpinstin, Sofokrom, Nchaban Nkwanta and Ntankorful.

Speaking to the media, Prof. Dr. Ayensu-Danquah revealed that the gesture was borne out of her desire to cushion women in petty trading in the wake of the Coronavirus scourge which led to a global economic meltdown.

She observed that the Coronavirus pandemic had forced most traders in both private and government institutions out of businesses.

She said as women contribute to the smooth running of the home, she realized that women ought to be empowered to be self-sufficient and contribute meaningfully to the development in society.

Prof. Dr. Ayensu Danquah has therefore engaged a money lending institution which offers microloans to traders.

As part of the pilot project, she said a start-up capital will be given to the traders according to the nature of their businesses in the coming months.

The Parliamentary Candidate said she was ready to bear 60% of the interest rate for a start but intended to make the package interest free in the coming months and increase the number of beneficiaries to alleviate poverty and boost the economic status of women in the Constituency.

The Essikado-Ketan NDC Parliamentary Candidate told the media that the credit scheme was open to all traders in the constituency irrespective of their party affiliations.

Prof. Dr. Ayensu-Danquah hoped to make the project more viable and permanent in her quest to revolutionize small scale businesses to ensure the well-being of women in the constituency.

She appealed to women in the Essikado-Ketan constituency to vote massively for her and the NDC on December 7 to able her to utilize the common fund to initiate more projects for them.

Speaking to the media at Kojokrom, some of the traders expressed profound gratitude to Prof. Dr. Ayensu-Danquah for making the welfare of women high on her developmental agenda and pledged their support for her to initiate more prudent and social intervention policies for women.