By Sandra Agyeiwaa OTOO
The Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI), in partnership with Presbyterian University Ghana and the European Union Delegation in Ghana, has launched the Green Growth Ghana project to economically empower women and youth within sustainable and circular industries.
Dubbed ‘Promote the economic empowerment of women and youth in green and circular economy sectors in Northern, Upper West and Upper East Regions’, the initiative aims to enhance economic empowerment for women and youth in northern parts of the country while unlocking their full potential to drive growth, reduce poverty and foster social inclusion.
The project, which is financially supported by the European Union Delegation in Ghana, also seeks to empower women and youth in agro-forestry value chains and the circular economy, enabling them to fully participate and benefit from these sectors.
President-GNCCI, Dr. Clement Osei-Amoako, said despite the consistent call for gender equity in Ghana there are still crucial gaps.
“In Ghana, despite gender equity and women’s rights being integral to the country’s transformation agenda, significant gender gaps persist. Women are more likely to be self-employed than employers, with smaller, informal enterprises – often in agriculture and traditional sectors with limited growth potential,” he said.
Dr. Osei-Amoako added that they face infrastructure limitations, lower productivity and concentration in labour-intensive, low-technology sectors. He said women’s economic empowerment is a top priority for poverty reduction and sustainable growth.
He noted that: “young people are crucial for driving innovation and social capital, particularly in agribusiness and the circular economy. Empowering them to shape the future economy in partnership with private and public sectors, CSOs and local authorities can tap into opportunities in these sectors. Agroforestry, suitable for mitigating climate change, can provide youth livelihoods and encourage rural engagement in sustainable natural resource management”.
The Green Growth Ghana Project is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically targetting: SDG 5 – Gender Equity; SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy; SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth; and SDG 13 – Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
This project is targetted at ensuring environmental sustainability; the development of green and circular socioeconomic sectors adapted to climate change; and promoting economic effectiveness and efficiency of ‘green growth’ policies in the Upper West, Upper East and Northern Region.
The activities include capacity building for women and youth in green and circular enterprises; and specific funding identified for women and youth-led businesses to enhance entrepreneurship.