About 50 smallholder agribusiness owners selected from various districts of the Volta Region have attended a day’s capacity building workshop on inclusive business and transformation practices in Ho.
The one-day workshop was organised by a Non-Governmental Organisation, Social Enterprise Ghana, in partnership with another non-governmental organisation, 2SCALE, with support from the Dutch government.
The objective was to strengthen the capacity of the participants with innovative partnerships and tailored support services.
The forum also focused on improving value chain inclusion and aligning entrepreneurship with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Among the participants were 33 men, 17 women and two persons who are challenged.
Poverty reduction
The Training Manager of the Social Enterprise Ghana, Dr Leticia Antwi, said engaging the vulnerable in society in agribusiness was essential to reducing poverty in the communities.
“They can be involved actively as suppliers, retailers, distributors and consumers of agribusiness products,” she explained.
Dr Antwi said such a move would also create jobs for the youth.
Therefore, Dr Antwi said that Social Enterprise Ghana would commit its zeal and resources to creating awareness of inclusive agribusiness in communities to improve living standards.
The Inclusive Business Adviser of 2SCALE, Agnes Anyawen, said it was important for most young agribusiness people to understand inclusivity, evaluate poverty, and increase community food security.
For instance, she said, when the employees had voices in the business and enjoyed fair wages, profits from the business would be guaranteed, and the business would progress in an atmosphere of equity.
That would further help to close the poverty gap in the communities, in the broader national interest, Miss Anyawen added.
An okro farmer and processor, Florence Hini, who was among the participants, hailed the workshop as a great opportunity for a new mindset to boost productivity.
She said she would now employ more young people, women and people who are challenged on her two-acre farm, which already had five workers.
Social Enterprise Ghana, in collaboration with 2SCALE, has already held a series of training programmes on inclusive agribusiness in various parts of the country.
The training focused on strengthening entrepreneurship within the agricultural sector by promoting inclusive business approaches.
