The Asante-Akim South District office of the Business Advisory Centre (BAC) has organized a 10-day training workshop on soap making for 24 women at Obogu near Juaso. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), African Development Bank (AfDB) and Government of Ghana funded the workshop that was under the rural Enterprises Project (REP), with support from the Member of Parliament for Asante-Akim South, Mrs Gifty Ohene-Konadu. Participants were trained not only in soap making but also its packaging to ensure their products compete favourably with established brands on the market. Mr Isaac Owusu-Asante, Business Development Officer of the BAC, said the objective of REP was to alleviate poverty at the grassroots especially among women. He said equipping women with vocational skills could revive economic activities in the district since they formed the core of small-scale businesses. Mr Owusu-Asante urged clients of the BAC to form groups after their training in order to be eligible for benefit from the Rural Enterprises Development Fund to set up their own businesses. He said BAC was making efforts to negotiate with the district assembly to assist its clients through the poverty alleviation fund and the Community-Based Rural Development Project. Mrs Ohene-Konadu, said in a speech read for her that the workshop was to empower participants to be self-reliant and urged them to ensure prudent management of their finances as they began their own business. She said empowering women to be economically independent was her priority and urged women in the district to take advantage of such opportunities to improve their lot. Source: GNA