According to the CSR wing of the leading telecom service provider, the project aims at improving the lives of the community members.
As part of the support, the MTN Foundation provided a mill for grinding the nuts, a pavilion to house the mill and a central location for the processing of the nut.
The Foundation also provided seed capital for each of the thirty women to buy shea nuts in commercial quantities. Provision has also been made for a motor king to convey the shea nuts from the farm to the mill, mobile phones for their economic activities and the creation of a Close User Group (CUG) for members to call among themselves at reduced costs. The women will also receive periodic training on business management.
Speaking during the presentation ceremony, the Executive Secretary of MTN Ghana Foundation, Robert Kuzoe said “this project is of importance to MTN because it will financially support the women with facilities that will increase the volume of shea butter production and improve their source of livelihood”.
Commenting on the project, Georgina Asare Fiagbenu, the acting Corporate Service Executive emphasized that “the decision to finance this project does not only fit into the Economic Empowerment focus area of the Foundation but is also in support of the attainment of Millennium Development Goals 1 & 3 which are: to eradicate extreme poverty & hunger and promote gender equality”.
She encouraged the women to take particular interest in the education of their children and also develop the habit of saving to enable them provide timely support to their families.
The leader of the Sung Suma Women’s group expressed their appreciation for the intervention and promised that the facility would be kept in good shape for the benefit of all users. She said “MTN has literally put money in our pockets and brought peace and joy into our homes. Our children can now go to school well dressed”.
Some projects provided by MTN in the Upper West Region include the donation of an incubator to the Nandom Hospital, 20 boreholes to provide potable drinking water for 20 communities within the Wa East and Lawra districts, a literacy improvement project for Nadowli Women Advocacy Group (NAWAG), involving 115 schools for a two year period. MTN is also currently constructing a 6 unit classroom with office and store for Vieri, a library for the people of Gwollu, a 20 Seater ICT center at Hamile in Partnership with UNDP.
African Eye News.com