Women traders numbering nearly 200 in the Asuogyaman Constituency in the Eastern region have received financial support from Chief Michael Ansah, an aspirant in the Asuogyaman constituency in the upcoming New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary primaries.

The Women in Entrepreneurship Support Scheme (WESS) is a component of a comprehensive skills and enterprise programme being implemented throughout the Asuogyaman constituency.

WESS which was implemented in four phases, was introduced to directly impact the lives of the people in Asuogyaman and transform the communities by ending the difficulties often encountered in accessing support, as the scheme ensures that traders have easy access to financial support to help their businesses.

The implementation of WESS follows a similar entrepreneurial and skills development training programme in which 120 youth were trained in the use and operation of forklifts.

During a brief ceremony to provide support for the final batch of women traders in the 4th phase of WESS, Chief Michael Ansah emphasised that he will continue to institute life-changing programmes like WESS that will have a direct impact on the lives, businesses, and communities in Asuogyaman.

“It cannot be business as usual and I know that as you invest these funds into your businesses, it will have a direct impact in your lives and communities. If you support a woman, you have supported her entire household so I believe that this will reduce the burden of a lot of our women traders in this constituency”, he added.

According to Chief Michael, Asuogyaman has the potential to become an industrial hub, hence the need to ensure that the youth are equipped with the skills that will guarantee them employment in the industries that will be built.

“I’m developing a comprehensive development plan for Asuogyaman. I see potential in the Akosombo-Tema corridor, I see industrial transformation coming here, I see job opportunities being created, I see us setting up industries that will transform this place, I see us bringing development to our schools, the social infrastructure that we have, hospitals especially roads; and all these things are part of a comprehensive plan that we have already started implementing”.

Hannah Odame, a WESS beneficiary, expressed gratitude to Chief Michael for keeping his promise to support traders, who make up the majority of the constituency's population.

“About 75% of the population in Asuogyaman are traders especially women, so this support to us traders by Chief Michael is timely and will serve as a major boost to our individual businesses. We can’t thank him enough”, Martha Anim noted.

Another beneficiary, Eunice Yayra, emphasised that Chief Michael has demonstrated that he prioritises their welfare and the development of communities within Asuogyaman, which is a significant departure from the past.

“We struggle to access loans from the banks and sometimes cannot get the supporting documentation to complete the process. This has really affected our businesses so to have Chief Michael provide us with this support is really a dream come true. He’s shown that he will do even more when given the opportunity, Eunice added”.

The beneficiary women traders in the Asuogyaman constituency applied for the Entrepreneurship Support Scheme (WESS).

Chief Michael Ansah, who is the current CEO of the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC), the organisation tasked with developing and promoting Ghana's integrated aluminium industry, launched the Forklift Training Youth Skills Development Programme in Asuogyaman District in October last year as part of the first phase of his "Impacting Lives and Transforming Communities" campaign.

Prior to joining GIADEC, Chief Michael was the Senior Vice President at Dell Corporation, United States, with responsibility over 180 countries.

The Forklift Training Programme, which was implemented through a collaboration with a globally recognised institution, Katals Global Company Limited, was designed to develop the skills of the youth and prepare them for potential employment opportunities in Asuogyaman and beyond.