DARE project equips beneficiaries with digital tools, startup support

The Digital Access for Rural Empowerment (DARE) Programme has successfully rolled out three innovative digital platforms across its intervention districts, introducing rural women and youth to new pathways for entrepreneurship, caregiving services, financial management and digital participation.

Implemented by a consortium comprising GI-KACE Consult Ltd, UNESCO and the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, the DARE Programme seeks to equip underserved communities with practical digital, entrepreneurial and employability skills to support sustainable livelihoods and inclusive development.

The official launch of the EMI Platform, Caregivers App and Financial App in Somanya, Bekwai and Gushegu marked more than the introduction of technology tools.

For many young women in Somanya, Bekwai and Gushegu, opportunities for stable income, digital skills development and economic independence which once seemed distant realities.

Today, however, these communities are witnessing a quiet but powerful transformation driven by technology, skills training and renewed hope. 

Women at centre of transformation

In Bekwai, the participants received startup kits, including sewing machines, industrial knitting machines, refrigerators, hairdryers and mobile money container stalls to help them establish or expand their businesses.

Across Somanya, Bekwai and Gushegu, the DARE Programme has recorded significant impact, reaching over 2,442 participants through digital, entrepreneurial and vocational skills training, while also achieving an impressive 97 per cent technology replication rate among beneficiaries.

The Municipal Chief Executive for Yilo Krobo Municipality, Francis Addo, commended the consortium for creating meaningful opportunities for participants through startup support, digital skills training and economic empowerment initiatives.

The Development Queenmother of Yilo, Manye Dede Addo-Teye, said she was happy to witness real testimonies from participants about how the programme had improved their lives through skills development, job opportunities and economic empowerment.

A trainer under the digital skills component of the DARE Programme in Gushegu, Abdul-Karim Naila, reflecting on how dramatically her life had changed said: “Before joining the DARE Programme, my digital skills were very limited.

The programme has helped me a lot, especially in digital skills.

I can now type on a computer, transfer files from a computer to my phone and support others to learn how to manage their businesses online and use their phones and computers effectively.”

Technology bridging opportunity gaps

The EMI Platform serves as a digital marketplace where women entrepreneurs and small businesses can promote and sell products and services beyond their immediate communities while the Caregivers App connects trained caregivers to families and institutions in need of caregiving services, creating structured employment opportunities, particularly for women and youth.

The Financial App provides users with tools for budgeting, savings tracking, income monitoring and financial planning to support personal and business growth.

During each launch event, participants were taken through practical demonstrations of the platforms, with many expressing excitement about how the applications could simplify their work, expand their businesses and improve their daily lives.

The DARE Consortium reiterated its commitment to ensuring that digital inclusion translates into long-term community transformation.