Women gari processors in the Ahyiresu community have received a new processing factory, thanks to the efforts of BOK Africa Concern, a non-governmental organization based in Berekum. This development was made possible with support from the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMP) through its SIPABS initiative.
The newly inaugurated gari processing factory is expected to empower local women processors by enabling them to increase production, expand their economic activities, and improve their socio-economic well-being. The initiative is part of larger projects implemented by the NGOs, titled “Strengthening Border and Migration Management (SMMIG)” and “Strengthening Border Security (SBS),” focusing on selected border communities in the Bono and Bono East Regions.
Funded by the European Union Emergency Trust Fund (EUTF), these projects aim to foster dialogue and collaboration among communities, civil society, traditional authorities, and institutions to enhance border management and security systems.
During the handing-over ceremony held in Ahyiresu, Nana Baffour Kwadwo Damoah Oseakwan, the chief of the farming community, urged entrepreneurs and investors to take advantage of the favorable business environment in the area. He emphasized the community’s readiness to welcome both local and foreign investors interested in establishing factories and businesses that would create job opportunities for the youth.
Nana Oseakwan highlighted that land availability was not an issue, as the community had allocated lands for business and industrial purposes. He expressed gratitude to the NGO and its partners for the gari processing facility and urged them to assist in operationalizing a maize milling facility in the area. Additionally, he called on the NGO to fulfill its commitment to provide a tricycle to support the operations of the gari processing factory.
Mr. Benson Osei Savio Boateng, the Executive Director of BOK Africa Concern, mentioned the organization’s efforts in combating irregular migration among youth in migration-prone communities. Campaigns focused on raising awareness about the dangers of irregular migration and human trafficking, particularly in communities like Nkoranza, Techiman, Gonokrom, and Kwameseikrom.
