The Presbyterian Relief Services and Development (PRESED) in partnership with the 192G Group has launched the Transform Project in Accra to empower vulnerable persons especially women economically and socially in farming communities.
Over the years, PRESED and 192G have championed the delivery of entrepreneurship, agriculture and rural development services with a business orientation and market access mindset towards the socioeconomic empowerment, particularly of women, and eventual poverty reduction of rural farm household in Ghana.
Their programme intervention areas include; financial inclusion, agricultural advisory services/agricultural extension, community financial systems, farmer-based organisation development, production and marketing for food and tree crops, climate change & environment, advocacy, and gender.
Mrs Teiko Sarbah, the National Director for the Development and Social Services of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Mrs. Teiko Sabah said PRESED was non-profit agency of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana under the Department of Development and Social Services (DSS) through which the Church contributes to Ghana’s effort towards achieving sustainable development.
She said the organisation aimed to exemplify God’s love for all people by facilitating the creation of a peaceful, healthy, and self-sufficient community that promoted development. PRESED sort to empower the poor and vulnerable mostly the youth and women to undertake viable income-generating activities to raise their income levels and improve the overall social, spiritual, and economic well-being of all people in society.
The 192G Group is a Technology and Agribusiness Company operating in Ghana and it is supporting financial inclusion interventions as well as efforts to build stable and resilient agribusinesses by leveraging on a range of technical expertise and investment instruments with the ultimate goal to create a sustainable project to assist farming community to be able to have financial stability and growth.
Mr Emmanuel Nyarko Ankamah, the Coordinator of PRESED, giving the overview of the Project, highlighted the key challenges as limited capacity and skills of women groups mostly, women across the country to improve on their standard of living.
That, he said, had persisted for several years, hindering the effective contribution of women groups to agricultural modernisation, comprehensive rural development, and agro-based industry development.
“The existing skills gap within women has impeded their ability to engage in viable economic ventures adopt modern and sustainable agricultural practices, engage in value addition and market linkages, and effectively contribute to household income.
This has resulted in sub-optimal agricultural productivity, limited income generation, and a lack of meaningful participation by women in leadership roles. He called on fintech, financial institutions, development partners, and government agencies to work together to address gaps women face.
“Previous efforts to address this challenge include sporadic training programs and awareness campaigns; however, these initiatives have been fragmented and insufficient to create a lasting impact. The challenge has persisted due to the need for a comprehensive and sustained capacity-building approach that encompasses a wide range of skills needed for women groups to thrive and contribute effectively to their development,” he added.
Outlining the mission of the project, Mr Jamil Pirbhai, a Team Member of 192G Group, informed the gathering that the project would deliver affordable, practical technology that drives social change, fosters financial inclusion, and creates lasting value for farming communities in a sustainable way.
“The project will also empower rural communities, especially women with reliable, accessible, and transparent tools that increase savings discipline, access to credit, and long-term financial resilience thus, making village savings local associations visible, bankable, and scalable for institutions that want to serve them.
Present at the launch were; financial institutions, fintech companies, Ministries, Departments and Agencies, Development Partners, and Civil Society Organizations.
