Women hold key to poverty reduction - Director

Salaga (N/R), May 26, GNA - Mr. Shehu A. Kadiri, East Gonja District Coordination Director, has observed that any attempt to address the problem of poverty in the country would fail unless special allocation of resources were channelled to women. "This is because the management of our homes revolves around them. Our women have also proved that they are more capable than their male counterparts in managing micro-credit and improving their economic status," he explained.

Mr. Kadiri said the success of any poverty reduction strategy therefore depended largely on quantum of resources allocated to women, the information dissemination about the funds, transparency of the institutions disbursing the funds and how easy these funds could be accessed.

He made the observation at a day's sensitisation workshop on: "Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II organised for 35 women groups in the East Gonja District at Salaga on Thursday. The workshop was on the theme: "Women accessing productive resources and other opportunities in the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy II (GPRS).

The Social Enterprise Development (SEND) Foundation of West Africa and Ibis Ghana, both NGOs, jointly organised the forum with sponsorship from the German Development Service (DED), also an NGO, to sensitise the women on the opportunities that abound in the GPRS II document.

Mr. Kadiri said it was in recognition of the important role women played towards poverty reduction that the GPRS had given special package for women's development.

He therefore urged them to take advantage of the opportunities to enhance their economic and social welfare.

Mr. Kadiri commended SEND Foundation and Ibis Ghana for their immense contributions towards poverty reduction in the district and assured them of the District Assembly's continuous support of their programmes.

Mr. Marshall Ziemah, Tamale Metropolitan Planning Officer, who took the women through the GPRS II document, said women had great potential of turning a stagnated economy into a vibrant one if the needed financial support was given them.

"The objectives in the GPRS are laudable but it seems like a dream far away from us if the District Assemblies fail to come out with development plans that will cater for the needs of the people and re-allocation of resources to women", he said. Mr. Ziemah appealed to the women to take advantage of the National Youth Employment Programme to access funds to undertake income-generating ventures and contribute their quota to the national economy.

Madam Henrike Mohr, a German Development Service Adviser, said a developing economy like that of Ghana needed a holistic approach of all segment of the population to ensure its rapid growth.