SWIDA Ghana Commends Partners for Support in Communities

SWIDA Ghana has extended heartfelt appreciations to Global Affairs Canada and the SIGRA project for supporting Kumbungu Women’s Climate Resilience and Sustainable Livelihood interventions.

According the Executive Director of SWIDA Ghana, Hajia Alimah Sagito-Saeed, the intervention has reached over 300 women and extended to Nanumba South and Mion Districts, creating real opportunities for rural women to thrive.

Through the support, SWIDA Ghana facilitated capacity building for women beneficiaries across these districts, equipping them with skills to take up leadership roles and actively participate in decentralization processes.

Today, more women are engaging in participatory governance, shaping decisions that affect their communities.

SWIDA Ghana thanked the donors for investing in women’s agency, climate resilience, and inclusive governance in Northern Ghana.

Thanks Canada’s International Development – Global Affairs Canada and especially the High Commissioner to Ghana Myriam Montrat and her team from Global Affairs Canada, and the SIGRA team.

In Pictures: Donor Visits Project Community to Assess Intervention

Donor visits show women groups that their work is seen, valued, and supported beyond reports. Direct engagement builds trust, boosts morale, and validates their efforts on the ground.

When women feel recognized, they gain confidence to take bolder steps, innovate, and sustain their initiatives—turning encouragement into stronger impact for their families and communities.

This is the situation of our groups at Koblimagu agro farm.supported by Farm and Forest Facility of the FAO

In Pictures: Launch and orientation of Cohort 6; FLMA

All Mentors of the FLMA present express their unwavering solidarity and encouragement to every mentee embarking on this journey.

‘We collectively affirm our commitment to guiding, supporting, and empowering you as you grow in leadership, knowledge, and purpose. This program represents an opportunity for transformation, collaboration, and self-discovery. We urge you to remain resilient, open to learning, and dedicated to your aspirations’.

Together, we will build a strong, supportive community where each of you can thrive, make meaningful contributions, and confidently shape a brighter future.

Nyasabga’s women farmers bear the brunt of climate change and land degradation, others turn to smart agriculture

Climate change is exacerbating the struggles of women farmers in the Nyasabga community in Northern Ghana’s Karaga District.

Prolonged drought has left many women farmers reaping empty harvests, but while some have no harvest, others are defying the odds by adopting climate-smart agricultural practices, showcasing persistence and determination.

This story explores the limited access to land by women, climate change, and its implications on food security.

In the Nyasabga community in the Karaga District of the Northern Region, women farmers are struggling with declining crop yields due to continuous tilling and drought.

Baba Fati, a farmer, has been working on a piece of land given to her by her husband six years ago. She notes that the yields have decreased significantly over the years, especially last year due to the drought that hit the area.

Fati added that the dry spell that had hit the area again was likely going to affect her yields.

“I have been farming on this piece of land over the years to feed my children. It was better at first, but last year was terrible, the drought was severe, so the yields were very low and it looks like its happening again this year. There has been a dry spell for the past two weeks,” she said.

She makes a passionate appeal for support to buy fertilizers.

“I am appealing for support to buy fertiliser to be able to apply on my farm. Hopefully, I can make some yields when the rains finally come,” she added.

At Fati’s home, her children are having breakfast. It is a meal made of cooked corn without any protein or vegetables, but Fati said that is all she can afford. “If you harvest and there is no yield how can you pay your children fees and give them nutritious meals, what you saw them eating at home that is all I can afford,” she said.

Even though these challenges continue to hamper farming for women farmers like Fati, some have worked to beat the odds.

Abukari Suweba is one of the women farmers in the Nyasabga community who has found a way to survive in this difficult time.

Despite facing land scarcity and the challenges of continuous farming, she has adopted smart agricultural practices that she said are giving her good yields.

“SWIDA Ghana visited us and beg the chief who gave us this land which had been overused by previous farmers. So they taught us how to use grass, waste, and cow dung to make the land fertile for our farms, and now my corn, tomatoes, okro, ayoyo and more are growing so well,” she said.

Suweba added that they are also into fish farming where the water from the fish pond is used in watering her vegetable farm as fertiliser.

“There is a fish pond were we collect the water to fertilise our farms we have all manner of vegetables and tress growing on this land,” she said.

The farmer said they are able to feed their families with the balanced diet they need.

“You see our vegetables from the farm, when you cut it and add kanton, our local spice and cook. It’s so delicious, you will eat and want more. It’s so healthy no need for the hospital to tell you, you are anemic or malnourished,” she said.

A lecturer at the Tamale Technical University in the faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Mahama Wayo, explained that the devastating impact of human activities on the ozone layer by human-induced pollution and emissions is significantly contributing to the climate change that the world is witnessing.

“The more we send gases up, the more we are causing problems to the ozone layer and what do expect heat at the end of the day and so we always complain of heat, it’s because of our activities. The population is growing by the day, we are becoming more industrialised, buying more vehicles by the day and every time you stand at the traffic image the amount of chlorofluorocarbons that are emitted in the atmosphere,” he said.

He said the impact is what is causing the drought that is affecting the women.

Mr. Wayo said the smart agricultural policy, which aligns with the country’s National Climate Change Policy, aims to promote sustainable agriculture practices, enhance climate information dissemination, and provide support to vulnerable farmers.

“Climate-smart agriculture is one of the policies under Ghana’s climate change policies. And under this policy, we have smart agricultural practices that we encourage farmers to adopt,” he said.

Mr. Wayo said smart agricultural practices can be expensive, adding that there is the need for the government to support farmers. “At the end of the day the adoption of these practices are expensive.”

Mr. Wayo recommended that government subsidise farm inputs and support farmers with some loans and grants that will help the farmers adopt these technologies.

Real men protect dignity, not the reputation of abusers – GBV Advocate

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) advocate and KASA Project Lead, Juliet Wepaare Ako, has called on men and boys to redefine masculinity by standing up against abuse and defending the dignity of women and girls.

“Real men protect dignity, not the reputation of abusers,” she stressed, urging male allies to break the culture of silence that often shielded perpetrators of violence.

Ms. Juliet made the call at a Male Advocates Engagement workshop organized by the Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency (SWIDA Ghana), under the KASA Project, with funding from support from the African Women’s Development Fund.

The workshop, held in Tamale, was on the theme “Strength, Responsibility and Positive Masculinity,” brought together representatives of youth groups, social media influencers, and community advocates to explore the role of men in preventing GBV and promoting gender equality.

The workshop was focused on enhancing participants’ understanding on consent, men as allies in ending sexual and gender-based violence, challenging harmful norms, among others.

According to Ms. Ako, while significant attention had rightly been placed on empowering women and supporting survivors, there was an urgent need to intentionally engage men as partners in the fight against GBV.

She noted that harmful norms and rigid gender expectations continue to fuel violence, adding that many boys grew up internalizing messages that equated manhood with dominance, control, and emotional suppression.

“Positive masculinity is about empathy, accountability and courage,” she said. “It is about choosing to speak up when a friend makes degrading remarks about women, refusing to laugh at sexist jokes, and challenging harmful behaviours within our circles.”

Ms. Ako emphasized that protecting abusers in the name of family honour, friendship, or community reputation only perpetuated cycles of violence and deepened survivors’ trauma.

“When we prioritize reputation over justice, we send a dangerous message that the comfort of perpetrators matters more than the safety of victims,” she said. “True strength lies in standing for what is right, even when it is uncomfortable.”

She encouraged participants, particularly social media influencers to use their platforms responsibly to amplify survivor-centered messages, counter misinformation, and promote respectful relationships.

The Coordinator of the Northern Region Chapter of Activista Ghana, Mr. Hamdan Amadu Wumpeka commended SWIDA Ghana for creating a platform that placed men at the center of conversation on gender justice.

He said, young people, especially young men, have a critical role to play in dismantling systems that normalize violence and discrimination.

“Many of us have witnessed or heard of abuses in our communities, yet we remain silent because we fear backlash or social exclusion. But silence is complicit. If we truly care about our sisters, friends and colleagues, we must be bold enough to act.”

Mr. Wumpeka called on male youth leaders to model respectful behavior and mentor young boys to understand consent, equality and shared responsibility in relationships.

He noted that addressing GBV is not only a moral obligation, but also a development issue, as violence undermined education, productivity, mental health, and community cohesion.

“A society that fails to protect its women and girls cannot achieve sustainable development. Engaging men is not shifting attention away from survivors; it is about tackling the root causes of violence.”

Ghanaian Caregivers Need to be Properly Catered for – SWIDA Ghana

At the CSW70 Hauriou Commission side event, SWIDA Ghana highlighted the vital role of grassroots women caregivers in Northern Ghana, saying they are the unsung heroes providing essential care work.

Executive Director of SWIDA Ghana, Hajia Alima Sagito-Saeed said these care workers are often unpaid and undervalued, yet remain a crucial need for community well-being.

According to Hajia Alima, SWIDA Ghana has over the years been advocating for a just care system that recognizes and supports these caregivers.

She said, “by amplifying their voices and contributions, we can create a more equitable society.”

SWIDA Ghana’s work focuses on empowering women and promoting gender equality, through community transformation and fostering shared responsibilities, using initiatives such as the Gender Model Family approach.

The Executive Director also emphasized the need for policies supporting caregivers and promoting women’s economic empowerment, where she said “by valuing care work, we can build a more just and inclusive world.”

SWIDA Ghana’s efforts are making a tangible impact in Northern Ghana, and their work serves as a model for others.

UCARE: Project Staff Monitor Meetings in Savannah Region

Staff of the UCARE project are the in Central, East, and West Gonja Districts of the Savannah Region, actively supporting and monitoring the monthly meetings of Gender Model Family Champions.

This initiative, funded by Alinea International and Global Affairs Canada, is being used to strengthen community-led efforts to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Through regular engagements, champions are equipped to drive positive change and model inclusive practices, fostering a ripple effect of social change across zones.

The project aims to respond to the four Rs of unpaid care work: Recognize, Reduce, Redistribute, and Reward

SWIDA Ghana is humbled to receive the NGO of the Year 2025 award at the Northern Ghana Business Excellence Awards by KIP Events in Tamale.

This recognition acknowledges our tireless efforts in empowering women entrepreneurs and promoting economic growth in Northern Ghana.

Statement Read on Behalf of the Women of Nandundo

By Mba Afa Yahaya Yakubu, Youth Chief of Nandundo, before the Installation

On behalf of the Women of Nandundo, I am honoured to read this statement. Since 2014, our mothers and sisters have witnessed real transformation through the work of SWIDA Ghana under the dedicated leadership of Hajia Sagito Alima Sa-eed.

What began with only two VSLA groups has grown into many strong and sustainable VSLAs involving hundreds of women, strengthening savings, access to credit, and household livelihoods.

The women have benefited from agribusiness training, leadership and advocacy support, and social cohesion initiatives.

Recently, the construction of energy-saving stoves and the supply of PPEs have reduced drudgery and health risks in shea butter and rice processing.

In deep appreciation of her selfless service, the women honour her as Queen of Development, Ugnati I. After the process, a pure white dove was presented as a symbol of peace, gratitude, and lasting partnership.

SWIDA Ghana Embarks on Monitoring Neighborhood Meetings

SWIDA Ghana, under the UCARE Project, continues has been monitoring the monthly neighbourhood meetings with Gender Model Family (GMF) households in the Savannah Region, to track progress and address challenges in the implementation of their GMF Action Plans.

During the recent meetings, families reported encouraging progress, particularly in the redistribution of household chores. This shows a growing commitment to shared responsibilities within homes. However, some challenges were also highlighted including;

Some adolescents shared concerns about limited involvement in family decision-making. Some men also mentioned the lack of energy-saving equipment such as bicycles and motorbikes in supporting to reduce household workload.

In response, families committed to actively involving adolescents in household decision-making processes. Men were also encouraged to continue supporting their families by finding practical ways, within their means, to help reduce the burden of domestic workload.

SWIDA Ghana remains committed to promoting inclusive, supportive, and gender-responsive family systems that foster harmony and shared responsibility.