My spouse Anne and I made a decision to go to Ghana after our good friend from Minnesota invited us to journey together with her as she visited household again dwelling. Neither of us had been to Africa earlier than, a lot much less any creating nation, however the urge to journey to a spot like Ghana has been with me ever since I started working with Wisconsin Microfinance over 10 years in the past throughout my undergraduate years at UW-Madison. Having executed fairly a little bit of journey to different worldwide locations in Europe, I used to be shocked to search out Ghana rather more chaotic and noisy than anticipated (notably the site visitors!), but additionally so welcoming and pleasant. The black star of Ghana symbolizes the emancipation of Africa towards colonialism, and celebration of Pan-Africanism (unity of the continent towards colonial oppression).
Whereas the consequences of colonialism are indubitably nonetheless affecting the economic system and talent for Africa to thrive in worldwide markets, native Ghanaians maintain all positions of political energy and black tradition is alive and thriving within the streets of Accra and Cape Coast. Ghana has rapidly turn out to be one of many premier locations for vacationers wishing to go to West Africa, notably for a lot of African-People serious about returning to the land the place their ancestors had been shipped out as slaves. Cape Coast Fort serves as a monument and brutal reminder of the abject struggling and centuries of inhuman oppression that adopted the Trans-Atlantic slave commerce.
Nana Obokese Ampah, Chief of the group of Moree, brings us as much as a quiet constructing with a big walled courtyard shaded from the beating solar with a phenomenal hand-made straw roof. Residence of his “Obokese Basis” and “Obokese College of Excellence”, that is the place Nana and his staff work diligently to help the close by group of Moree and the encompassing areas by entrepreneurial, enterprise, instructional, and management courses. On the ground is a big plaster-built curled-up tiger, and Nana sits on the throne chair along with his ft resting beneath him on a pillow.
The Chiefdom group is alive and effectively in Ghana. It exists as a well-respected establishment for group management, each by politicians in addition to frequent individuals. The identify “Nana” is the Akan/Fante expression for the ruler or chief, and Nana Obokese is the regional ruler of the group of Moree, a sprawling city simply exterior of Cape Coast within the historic Asebu area. Moree and the encompassing areas has a inhabitants of over 100,000 individuals, and is dwelling to the historic Fort Nassau, the primary Dutch buying and selling publish established within the early 17th century for partaking within the slave commerce.
At this time Moree is dwelling to a bustling fishing economic system, with Nana Obokese himself to thank for a lot of latest rebranding efforts to be referred to as the “Metropolis of Mild”. Driving into the city as night time begins to fall, we come to a roundabout with a big bronze statue of Farnyi Kweigya, acclaimed “father of fishing”, holding a big fish.
As we stroll by the grime streets, clouds of smoke pour into the open air of the rows of tin-roofed homes. Nana has taken us right here to look at the ladies smoking as we speak’s catch, preserving the fish for future cargo inland to markets in Kumasi and Accra. The economic system and society of Ghana’s Akan individuals is inherently matriarchal, the place ladies make lots of the monetary selections within the household and switch property and inheritance rights.
We discuss to a couple ladies who present us how they wash and smoke the fish, which have been caught that day and positioned into the “chilly storage” till they’re able to smoke.
Different enterprise actions locally additionally focus on fishing, together with the distribution of “premix” gasoline and the mending of fishing nets. Nonetheless, additionally it is a group that wants fundamental companies like meals and beverage distribution, hair styling and trend, and social companies.
By making Wisconsin Microfinance loans obtainable, Moree will be capable to handle many infrastructure issues together with sanitation, flooding, road lights and street networks. There’s a sturdy demand for these microfinance loans, which is able to inject a lot wanted capital into the economic system of Moree. Nana Obokese defined that he has an obligation to help the residents of his group, whose issues usually middle across the lack of cash. If someone will get damage and desires surgical procedure, there are little sources obtainable as a result of most individuals don’t have a financial savings funds obtainable. Extra capital circulating locally will ease this burden and make bigger infrastructure initiatives obtainable. Many of the development initiatives in Ghana occur with out capital advances like mortgages or development loans. In consequence, development on houses and buildings solely occurs when a sum of cash turns into obtainable as earnings, and investing in development of their property is a strategy to solidify these belongings.
Nana Obokese is dedicated to creating Moree right into a vibrant group. He firmly believes in the identical rules of microfinance that Wisconsin Microfinance advocates for, similar to lending teams, low rates of interest, and loans primarily to ladies. His spouse Sarah is a specialist in finance on the native Assinman Rural Financial institution in Cape Coast.
Anne and I had an opportunity to sit down down with Sarah to debate the main points of the Wisconsin Microfinance program. Loans are at the moment obtainable for the poor at this financial institution department, nevertheless they’re required to cost a better rate of interest than what we’d be capable to supply with Wisconsin Microfinance. As well as the mortgage functions at this financial institution are on the person stage – by utilizing lending teams Wisconsin Microfinance will be capable to depend on group social strain to supply loans to individuals with much less credit score historical past. We can depend on Sarah’s experience to manage the mortgage program in Moree.
We completed our go to with Nana by receiving a present from him – a historic wood statue of a girl holding a basket on her head. It is a present for Tom Eggert, president of the board at Wisconsin Microfinance, to represent the partnership between our organizations.
Nana then took us to a photograph studio to strive on some conventional Ghanaian clothes, a celebration of our appreciation for Ghanaian tradition and a enjoyable strategy to finish our go to.
The necessity for capital in Ghana is nice, and by focusing on the group of Moree as the following vacation spot for a Wisconsin Microfinance program we will likely be forging a robust partnership that can hopefully function a template for future Wisconsin Microfinance applications in Ghana and elsewhere on the African continent.
