Agona East MP supports market women with interest free loan

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Agona East in the Central Region, Mrs Queenstar Maame Pokua Sawyerr, has provided an interest free loan of GH¢100,000 to market women in her constituency.

The MP announced the loan facility at a durbar organised for market women within the various towns and villages in the constituency.

Some of the communities that benefitted from the Maame Pokua Loans Scheme (MPLS) are Fahwia Number 1, Fahwia Number 2, Kofi Abbam, Kwesi Kum, Yaw Dadze, Brepo, Mensakrom and Kwanyako Sanco.

Mrs Sawyerr said the interest free loan was aimed at helping the women to expand their businesses, as well as meet the demands of Christmas.

According to the MP, her passion for assisting the women in the constituency is to help eliminate poverty from the constituency, which women have the power to kick it out. 

She said in approving the loans consideration was given to women who were willing to work to promote and expand their businesses to support their families.

Mrs Sawyerr disclosed that she would soon come out with the establishment of a skills centre to train entrepreneurs in the Agona East Constituency on business and risk management.

In an interview, some of the beneficiaries alleged that some non-governmental organisations (NGO) and micro-finance firms had been deceiving them despite huge interests associated with the loans.

"We are made to spend a lot of money on documentation with a promise that we will be given financial support but this never materialised," Yaa Alepei, a beneficiary, pointed out.

They commended the MP for the loan scheme.

“Mrs Sawyerr is God-send.  She is loving, caring, generous and God-fearing. It’s for that reason we call her Obaatanpa,”  Yaa Alepei said.

Other beneficiaries expressed appreciation to Mrs Sawyerr for instituting the loan scheme to support them.

The MP advised the beneficiaries to use the money judiciously to ensure that the purpose of the loan was achieved.

She also appealed to all beneficiaries to pay back the interest free loan at the stipulated period to enable others to also enjoy.