Africa-Press – Ghana. The Capacity Enhancement and Community Support (CAPECS) Ghana, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has commissioned a solar-powered mechanised water system in the Kwapun community in the Sissala East Municipality.
The project aims to enable vulnerable women engage in all-year-round vegetables production to improve their livelihoods and promote social cohesion in the community.
The Initiative seeks to enhance women’s economic resilience and promote their inclusion in decision-making and peace-building processes.
The Intervention is to also ensure that the community could have access to clean and safe drinking water to improve household resilience.
The initiative, under the CAPECS-Ghana’s project dubbed: “Improving Economic Resilience of Host Communities for peacebuilding in Northern Ghana (PERCH), is being implemented in the Zini and Kwapun communities in the Sissala West and Sissala East Municipalities.
Mr Abu Dokuwie Alhassan, Executive Director of CAPECS-Ghana, speaking at the commission ceremony in Kwapun, described the facility as, “Fundamental for improved livelihoods, economic resilience and socio-economic well-being of the people.”
He said: “CAPECS-Ghana’s aim is to mobilise, coordinate and leverage resources to promote sustainable employment opportunities for all, particularly women and youth, to promote inclusion and participation in the community.”
He explained that the community, which had about 1,000 refugees, was also one of the hard-to-reach areas that lacks government presence due to the poor road network linking it to the municipal capital.
Mr Alhassan said the beneficiaries had also been trained in Village Saving and Loans Association (VSLA) to enable them access resources to support their business and improve their overall well-being.
Madam Melody Azinim, Peace and Governance Analyst at the UNDP, emphasised that women were crucial stakeholders in development and climate action.
She indicated that by providing them with targeted support, they could create an environment that fostered inclusive and sustainable progress.
She noted that the UNDP remained committed to promoting peace in communities across Ghana, with a focus on the involvement of women and young people.
Mr Adam Yakubu Benin, the Sissala East Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), in a speech on his behalf, thanked CAPECS-Ghana, UNDP and partners for the intervention.
He encouraged the beneficiaries to make good use of the intervention to help reduce poverty, promote social cohesion, and enhance networking among women and the youth in the community.
Pio Kwabalugu Emmanuel Badiyiga Ali IV, the Chief of Kwapun, expressed appreciation to CAPECE-Ghana and UNDP for this “life-changing project.”
He assured them that the community would protect and maintain the facility to ensure its sustainability for future generations.
Some beneficiaries, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), described the intervention as “a beacon of hope and empowerment of women to achieve sustainable development.”
The beneficiaries at the ceremony also performed the Kassena and Moshi dances, expressing their happiness about the support, and pledged to protect and maintain it.
The project is being implemented by CAPECS-Ghana with funding from the United States Government through UNDP and the International Organisation for Immigration.
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