Project profile — Women & Cocoa Communities Initiative (TogetHER)



Overview 

CA-3-P010607001
$10,000,000
SOCODEVI - Canadian Cooperation Society for International Development (CA-CRA_ACR-3104918610)
2022-03-07 - 2026-12-31
Operational
Global Affairs Canada
WGM Africa

Country / region 

• Ghana (100.00%)

Sector 

• Agricultural policy and administrative management:
Agricultural policy and administrative management (31110) (20.00%)
Agricultural financial services (31193) (25.00%)
Agricultural co-operatives (31194) (25.00%)
• General Environmental Protection: Environmental education/training (41081) (30.00%)

Policy marker 

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Nutrition (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) (not targeted)
• Participatory development and good governance (significant objective)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (significant objective)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (significant objective)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (principal objective)
• Disability (not targeted)

Description 

This project aims to empower women and young adults (18-35 years old) in rural cocoa-producing communities in the Ashanti and Western regions of Ghana. The training and support the project provides encourages collective savings, entrepreneurship and financial inclusion and contributes to the sustainable resilience of the cocoa sector and the equal distribution of economic benefits and opportunities. Project activities include: (1) Interactive training and long-term support on financial and digital literacy for women and youth members of village savings and loans associations to encourage financial inclusion; (2) Technical training on climate-smart practices while developing and expanding promising income-generating activities; and (3) Training for the Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod) and Ghana’s Department of Co-operative on inclusive governance and administrative, financial and environmental management.

Expected results 

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved financial and economic autonomy for 3,000 women and 1,000 young people (50% women) in targeted rural cocoa communities in the Western and Ashanti regions of Ghana; and (2) improved performance of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the Ghana Cocoa Board and the Department of Co-operative in delivering adapted, gender-responsive and climate-smart products and services, in collaboration with other stakeholders of the cocoa value chain, for the benefit of women and youth.

Results achieved 

Results achieved as of March 2024 include: (1) 1,893 (903 women, 388 young women, 157 young men, 445 men) members of Village Savings and Loans Associations received financial literacy training, enhancing awareness of credit sources, building bank relationships, loan application procedures, and insurance introduction; and (2) 50 staff (30 women and 20 men) from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the Ghana Cocobod and the Department of Co-operative were trained on gender-responsive and climate-smart products and services, in collaboration with other stakeholders from the cocoa value chain.

Budget and spending 


Original budget $2,500,000
Planned disbursement $3,260,657
Transactions
Transaction Date Type Value
11-06-2024 Disbursement $260,657
01-11-2024 Disbursement $3,000,000
Country percentages by sector
Type of finance Aid grant excluding debt reorganisation
Collaboration type Bilateral
Type of aid Project-type interventions
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