Awarded at the second edition of the JoyNews Impact Makers Awards for his dedication to improving rural livelihoods across Ghana and beyond, Dr. Kwame Sarkwah Aidoo has tirelessly promoted beekeeping as a sustainable income source for rural communities such as Donkorkrom in the Kwahu Afram Plains District in the Eastern Region.

The far-reaching impact he has made with the beekeeping intervention demonstrates the transformative potential of the initiative.

Dr. Aidoo, under his foundation Bees for Development Ghana (BfDG), has supported 700 cashew and orange farmers in the Eastern and Brong Ahafo Regions and empowered over 100 women through Community Support Bee Projects in Ghana and Liberia.

His work also expands to other parts of the country, including the Western North, Northern, and Savannah Regions. He explained to the Joy Newsroom the inspiration behind what he does.

“The major project began with honey hunters, as mentioned in my speech. They ventured into Digya National Park, a vast forest reserve established to protect the lake. During the night, they felled trees, killed bees, and harvested honey illegally. They were caught, prosecuted, and subsequently fined and imprisoned. To address this, we intervened and taught them how to keep bees in their backyards, enabling them to make money legally,” he said.

He also announced plans to top up his cash prize of ₵4000 to buy bicycles for children in Donkorkrom and surrounding rural communities in the Eastern Region.

He explained that “the children in the area have to walk 5 kilometers to school. I decided to take action; I started by donating two batches of 10 bicycles to school children in need. Now, with this award, I’m going to donate more bicycles to the children. A good bicycle currently costs about 700 to 800 cedis, I’m increasing my contribution and will purchase 10 more bicycles for children in the Donkorkrom area,” Dr. Aidoo assured.

Read also: Winners from 2nd edition of JoyNews Impact Makers Awards

General Manager of Joy brands of the Multimedia Group, Fiifi Koomson, pledged the company’s support towards promoting the projects of impact makers such as Dr. Aidoo.

“Moving around and supporting those in need, and that is exactly what you're doing. So, God bless you. We would be very glad to cover all your presentations and events. You have ample airtime available on our platform; make sure to use it well.”

Nicknamed 'THE HONEYMAN' by Evans Mensah, co-host of this year’s awards, Dr. Aidoo and his team made sure every member of the newsroom had a taste of honey from their farm before bidding farewell to the Joy Newsroom. The staff expressed their gratitude for the gesture.