Economic Growth Ghana Project #55252

The Livelihood Project

by Alliance For African Women Initiative

Project Report | Apr 11, 2025
Activities in the first Quarter of 2025

By Marlene Keller | Deputy Programmes Manager

Participants

1. Project Overview

The AFAWI Livelihood Project is a women-focused economic empowerment initiative designed to support low-income female entrepreneurs. It offers access to low-interest loans, which are typically unattainable through traditional financial institutions in Ghana, along with basic business training to ensure effective loan utilization and sustainable income generation. The project directly contributes to enhancing women’s economic participation, gender equality, and community-level development.

2. Activities – First Quarter 2025 2.1 Needs Assessment and Identification of Beneficiaries

In the first quarter of 2025, AFAWI conducted a comprehensive needs assessment in Afienya, a peri-urban community in the Greater Accra Region. This activity aimed to identify the next group of women to benefit from business training and micro-credit support under the Livelihood Project.

As a result of the assessment, 42 women have been successfully identified for the upcoming project phase. These women are active in the informal sector and demonstrate both the potential and willingness to grow their businesses with the right support.

This targeted identification process ensures that the Livelihood Project continues to respond to real community needs and adapt to shifting economic conditions.

2.2 Financial Skills Training with JUMO – 26th March 2025

A key highlight of Quarter 1 was the successful mobilization of 40 female entrepreneurs for a one-day financial empowerment training, delivered in partnership with JUMO on March 26, 2025.

The training focused on equipping participants with practical financial skills and knowledge in the following areas:

Access to Financial Services
Loan Access and Credit Management
Education on Mobile Money (MoMo) Fraud Prevention
Financial Planning for Sustainable Business Growth

This collaboration with JUMO reflects AFAWI’s commitment to providing not only financial assistance but also ongoing capacity building that strengthens women’s long-term economic resilience.

3. Outlook and Next Steps

With the identification of 42 new beneficiaries and 40 entrepreneurs already benefiting from JUMO’s financial training, AFAWI is now preparing for the next phase of business training and loan disbursement, planned for Quarter 2 of 2025.

The women identified in Afienya will be enrolled in basic business management sessions, covering budgeting, marketing, record-keeping, and growth strategies. Loan disbursements will follow, based on individualized business plans and readiness assessments.

4. Conclusion

The first quarter of 2025 has laid a strong foundation for the continued growth and impact of the Livelihood Project. Through targeted needs assessment and strategic capacity-building partnerships like the one with JUMO, AFAWI continues to drive positive change in the lives of women entrepreneurs in Ghana.

We extend our heartfelt appreciation to our partners, especially CBI and JUMO, for their continued support in advancing women’s economic empowerment and fostering community development.

Participants

Links:

More Infos on the project here

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Nov 29, 2024
Activities in the second half of 2024

By Marlene Keller | Deputy Programmes Manager

Signing of contract

The Livelihood Project, launched by AFAWI, aims to empower women by providing them with the financial resources and support needed to improve their livelihoods. The project focuses on providing small loans to women entrepreneurs in underserved communities, enabling them to invest in income-generating activities and improve their economic stability.

Activity Summary:

After a successful meeting with the new group in Afienya, the project team conducted a comprehensive needs assessment to better understand the specific requirements and aspirations of the women in the community. This assessment allowed us to tailor our support to the individual needs of each participant, ensuring that the loans provided would have the greatest impact.

On 29.10.2024, the project team traveled to Afienya to officially distribute loans to 9 women as part of the Livelihood Project. The loans will help these women start or expand their small businesses, providing them with the resources to generate sustainable income and support their families.

Key Activities:

Meeting with the New Group in Afienya:
- We met with the newly formed group of women to introduce the Livelihood Project, explain the objectives, and clarify the loan process.
- The women expressed their interest in the project and shared their specific business ideas and goals.
Needs Assessment:
- During the meeting, we conducted a needs assessment to understand the economic challenges faced by the women and the types of businesses they are involved in or wish to start. This helped ensure that the loan distribution would meet the immediate and long-term needs of the participants.
- Key findings from the assessment revealed that the women were interested in businesses related to farming, food processing, retail, and tailoring.
Loan Distribution:
- On the agreed-upon date, we returned to Afienya to distribute loans to 9 women. These loans will allow them to purchase equipment, stock, or raw materials needed to start or expand their businesses.
- Each woman received an amount tailored to her specific business needs, and they were briefed on the repayment terms and expected outcomes of the project.
Support and Follow-Up:
- We emphasized the importance of using the loan funds wisely and committed to providing ongoing support to the women throughout the loan repayment period.
- The project team will follow up regularly to monitor progress, offer guidance, and address any challenges the women may encounter.

Outcomes and Impact:

Increased Financial Empowerment: The distribution of loans provides the women with the opportunity to improve their financial independence and secure a better future for themselves and their families.
Business Growth: The loans will enable the women to invest in businesses that have the potential to generate sustainable income, helping to lift them out of poverty and build economic resilience.
Capacity Building: Through the needs assessment and ongoing support, the women will also receive valuable skills and knowledge that will help them grow and manage their businesses more effectively.

Next Steps:

Follow-Up and Monitoring: We will continue to monitor the progress of each woman, providing mentorship and assistance as needed to ensure the success of their businesses.
Loan Repayment and Evaluation: As loan repayments begin, we will assess the overall impact of the project and consider scaling it to support more women in Afienya and surrounding communities.
Training and Capacity Building: We plan to offer additional training sessions on financial literacy, business management, and other relevant skills to help the women succeed in the long term.

Conclusion:

The Livelihood Project in Afienya is off to a strong start, with 9 women receiving the financial support they need to improve their businesses and, ultimately, their quality of life. This initiative is a significant step towards empowering women economically and creating sustainable livelihoods in the community. With continued support and monitoring, we are confident that this project will have a lasting impact on the participants and contribute to the broader development goals of the region.

Thank you to our partners, donors, and supporters for making this project possible.

Training on financial literacy

Loan distribution

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Aug 26, 2024
Expansion of Project to Afenyia

By Marlene Keller | Deputy Programmes Manager

Project participants in Afenyia

Objective of Activity: To meet the new group in Afienya for the Livelihood Project. To explain our project and carry out need assessments.

Venue: Church, Afienya.

PROCEDURE

08:15 AM – 10:00 AM: DEPARTURE

Emma & Vivian left AFAWI at 8:15AM, they met Jennifer at 9.45AM to carry on the journey to Afienya.

10:45 AM: ARRIVAL

The AFAWI team arrived at Afienya at 10:45AM.

10:50 AM – 11:30 AM: INTRODUCTIONS & EXPLANATION

10:50AM, one of the women opened the session with a prayer. Jennifer then did introductions and went onto explain to the women the Livelihood Project.

11:30AM – 01:00PM: NEEDS ASSESSMENTS

The AFAWI team completed needs assessments with all the women in attendance.

01:05 PM: DEPARTURE

The AFAWI team departed Afienya to head back to the AFAWI office.

Summary

The team arrived in Afienya at 10.45AM. At 10:50AM one of the women from the group said a prayer and then Jennifer started the session.

Jennifer began by doing introductions of the team and then started the explanation of the Livelihood project as this was a new group starting with us in Afienya. Jennifer explained the different trainings: financial literacy, family planning, malaria & HIV and interest rates. She then went onto explain the groups and how it will work.

The women had a few questions such as: how do the groups work? How much money? How does paying it back work? Jennifer answered all these questions and asked if the women understood, they confirmed. She emphasized that this project is for their own benefit, and we want to help them thrive.

At 11:30AM the explanation and questions were all finished. All women were asked to register their names; write down their groups and fill in a needs assessment. The AFAWI team helped them do this. All 33 needs assessments were completed.

The team were finished at 01:00PM and departed Afienya at 01:05PM to head back to the AFAWI office.

Links:

More Infos here

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