Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), an international Non- Governmental Organization (NGO) has donated a soya bean processing plant valued at  US5,000 dollars to Baaro enterprise, a local NGO in Wa.

The donation which is under the Organisation's Greater Rural Opportunities for Women (GROW) project, aims to improve food security for families in northern Ghana by assisting women farmers to grow more soya beans and forge market links that will increase incomes.

The project provides training and technical assistance to help women make sound nutritional choices for their families.

The project is implemented in partnership with local organizations with a focus on building local capacity and experience in delivering market-driven programmes.

Speaking at the donation ceremony, Deputy Director of MEDA, Helen Loftin stated that their target is to have at least 20,000 women farmers specialised in soya beans and integrate them into the soya bean value chain.

She said it will give the women the opportunity to own and learn how to use soya bean for their family consumption and also sell the surplus for the upkeep of the family.

‘‘When you give women the control over how to feed their families, what is nutritious for them and allow them to control the money they earn from the sale of products (soya beans), the money goes right back to the household.

Children are able to go to school, the children eat better and the money gets reinvested in to the business; the entire community, country benefit from that,’’ she added.

Ms Loftin believes that through the project they can transform Ghana if women are empowered economically.  

The director of Baaro enterprise, Adnan Abubakar thanked MEDA and their partners for the kind gesture and pledged to work assiduously to help reduce the suffering women go through in order to take care of their families.

Country project manager of MEDA (Ghana), Catherine. S. Sobrevega said having the plant in the upper west region will open up business opportunities for women who are involved in soya bean farming.

She said the objective is to make the business profitable so that other people can join and replicate the business in other districts in the region.

The project is being funded by Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFAID), International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) and U.S. AGENCY for International Development ( USAID).