Women's ministry to disburse 50 billion cedis this year

The Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs would disburse 50 billion cedis to women's groups to undertake income-generating projects.

The figure is nearly 90 percent increase over 27 billion cedis disbursed under the Women's Development Fund last year.

Mr David Aidoo, Co-ordinator of the Fund at the ministry, said this at a one-day capacity building workshop for women who benefited from the fund last year.

It was aimed at encouraging them to help develop positive business attitude.

Participants were taken through topics including loan management, record keeping and customer care.

Mr Aidoo said the ministry would this year, distribute 200 cassava-processing machines together with a seed amount of five billion cedis.

He said an export market had been found in Sierra-Leone, Gambia, Liberia and Togo for gari, adding that shea nuts and groundnut-processing machines would also be given out to women groups in the three northern regions to produce shea butter and groundnut paste.

He was happy that some women groups had finished paying back their loans and have been recommended for further assistance and urged those who have not to do so promptly.

Mr Aidoo also appealed to banks to be women friendly to encourage more women particularly traders to patronise their banks to avoid keeping monies in their stores and homes.