A Rocha Ghana Hands-over Warehouse to Enhance Organic Shea Value Chain
Women’s groups and traditional Authorities from Grubagu, Wawato, Lingbinsi and Daboya in the North Gonja District of the Northern Region of Ghana graced the opening ceremony of the second in a chain of organic ware houses being established to support sustainable Shea Value Chain in communities around Mole National Park.
The occasion forms part of a bigger landscape vision to build and promote public-private partnership for climate resilience in savanna eco-zone of Ghana through green commodity value chains that contribute to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and provide opportunities to strengthen conservation efforts in and around Mole National Park, the largest protected Area in Ghana.
Funding for this initiative is by the Dutch Agro-Water Climate Alliance (DAWCA) a flagship programme of International Union for Conservation of Nature, Netherland (IUCN-NL). The initiative is in partnership with Savanna Fruits Company (SFC), a private sector company committed to supporting green value chains development in Ghana. The warehouse is to serve community people most especially women within the district to store Organic Shea nuts and also to avoid contamination and increase stocks.
Handing-over ceremony
The brief handing-over ceremony place on Tuesday, 2nd at Ligbinsi in the North Gonja District of the Northern Region. The programme brought together representatives from Wasipewura, Ligbinsiwura, Savanna Fruits Company (SFC), ARG staff, Grubagu, Wawato and Donkonpe communities with majority being women. The programme was grace by the National Director of ARG, Mr. Seth Ken Appiah-Kubi.
Mr. Godwin Evenyo Dzekoto, Northern sector manager, 
on spelling out the rationale for the gathering indicated A Rocha Ghana’s commitment to support community natural resource governance and management and supporting nature-linked enterprises. He commended the Traditional Authorities for being cooperative with ARG when the idea to build the warehouse came up. He appreciated their many support in form of resource and advice and added that the warehouse is to help boost the economy of the people most especially womensince Shea is mainly the occupation of women and constitute significant income to households.
Mr. Appiah-Kubi in his brief key note speech expressed his profound gratitude to the Wasipewura and his entire council of elders, the partnership with communities and private, not forgetting the continuous support of DAWCA and the IUCN NL. He indicated A Rocha’s committed to forging appropriate networks with communities and private sector that inure benefit to the welfare of communities and also to the sustainable of natural resources. At this point the representative of Wasipewura appreciated the ARG’s work done over the years, most especially the warehouse which is to support women which will go a long way to support the local economy. It was added that Wasipe Traditional Area is ever ready to collaborate with ARG to bring development to the District.
Mr. Iddi Emmanuel,the Area Manager for SFC cherished the collaboration and work of ARG and advised the communities to take good care of the warehouse and also to ensure they see the sustainability of natural resources as the way to secure their own livelihoods for the long-term. He also encouraged the women to work hard by picking more Shea nuts to make the aim of the project realized and stated SFC’s commitment to the program.