Women's micro-financing programmes to be established

Mrs Gladys Asmah, Minister for Women's Affairs (MOWA) on Thursday announced plans to establish Women's Micro- Financing Programmes to enhance the living standards of women. She said since women are the breadwinners in most families there is the need to assist them to set their own small-scale businesses to support the families.

Speaking at her first meeting with the Women's Desk Officers of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies in Accra, Mrs Asmah said there would be a seven-member committee to be chaired by her to take responsibility for disbursing the money.

The meeting, the first in a series, is to deliberate on and bring the concerns of women and children to the fore and put them into the development process.

The fund, she said, would be at the Central Bank and would be made available to all banks mandated to assist women in this direction.

She urged all women to cooperate with the ministry to run the programme successfully to alleviate poverty among women and children.

"Poverty is at the core of most of the problems facing the country and MOWA is prepared to assist in addressing the problem."

Mrs Asmah said gender training and analysis are considered essential tools in the development process and pledged the ministry's determination to establish measures that would allow Women Desk Officers to acquire these skills to enhance their work.

This, she said, would help them identify the needs and address them holistically on a longer and sustainable basis.

"That is why your position as Women Desk Officers is not by chance and should not be taken lightly. You have a responsibility to identify gender inequalities and inequities in your various sectors to effect positive change."

Miss Atawa Akyea, Director of MOWA, said the ministry is interested in picking up all the loose ends of the Women Desks, which were established without a clear framework, and "strengthen our resolve in the empowerment of women and the protection and survival of children". Nii Akwei Allotey, a Director of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service (OHCS), said the office is working towards bridging the gap between women and men at the decision- making level from three per cent to 15 per cent by 2005.

He said plans are also underway to upgrade the Government Secretarial Schools and Civil Service Training School to Diploma awarding institutions to enhance the chances of women who out of no fault of theirs, are lagging behind the men in terms of training.

This, Nii Allotey said, would build the capacity, quality and content of their work. Mrs. Alice Attipoe, Women Desk Officer of OHCS, said statistics have shown that some women lack the interest to develop themselves and stressed the need to develop strategies to encourage women in this direction.