200+ Women in Bono Region Trained in Digital & Financial Skills

• More than 200 women in the Bono Region took part in a two-day capacity-building program to improve digital and financial capabilities
• The program targeted women engaged in agribusiness, such as growers, processors, traders, and retailers

More than 200 women in agribusiness in the Bono Region took part in a two-day experiential training programme to improve their digital and financial competencies.

The programme, organized by the Telecel Ghana Foundation, at the Tyco City Hotel, Sunyani, converged growers, processors, traders, and retailers from all over the region.

The workshop aimed to equip the participants with means of growing their businesses, embracing fiscal discipline, and using mobile technology for efficient transactions.

Digital literacy training included using social media platforms for advertisement, setting up business pages, and interacting with consumers online in a bid to boost income opportunities.

Financial literacy workshops led learners through savings, budgeting, investing opportunities, and the utilization of Telecel Cash to make safer and more effective transactions.

Presenters underscored how digital financial instruments can be employed to monitor income, curb risks involved in cash handling, and enhance resilience in difficult times.

To most of the participants, the training provided them with hands-on means of expanding their businesses. Food processing and livestock farmer Eunice Pubebekuu said she can now use WhatsApp and Facebook to promote her products and receive orders outside of conventional market days, potentially widening her customer base and income.

Rita Agyeiwaa Rockson, Telecel Ghana's Head of Foundation, Sustainability, and External Communications, pointed out that women make up a large percentage of the agribusiness value chain in the Bono Region. She added that financial literacy with digital skills assists female farmers and traders to access larger markets and enhance livelihoods.

The training was done in collaboration with Wan-Hive Ghana, a network of female entrepreneurs within the Bono Region. Moreover, the participant sample had participants from both urban and rural areas which enhanced the reach of the initiative.

At the conclusion of the workshop, all participants were given a complimentary Telecel SIM card with data, voice, and SMS packages to assist participants in practicing their new business skills.

This is in line with the broader initiatives of the Telecel Ghana Foundation to increase financial inclusion and digital inclusion for vulnerable communities, particularly women, in the agricultural sector, which is an important economic sector in Ghana.