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Advans Ghana Celebrates Farmers’ Day with Women Shea Cooperatives
On January 15, 2025, Advans Ghana Savings and Loans joined the Nasia community in celebrating the 2024 Farmers’ Day and Award Ceremony. The event, graced by respected chiefs, elders, women shea cooperative leaders, and key financial partners, underscored the critical role of farmers—particularly women—in Ghana’s agricultural sector.
Agriculture remains a cornerstone of Ghana’s economy, employing over 60% of the national population. In rural communities like Nasia and its surroundings, this figure rises to 90%. Women play an especially vital role in the shea value chain, contributing 90-95% of primary production activities. Recognizing their resilience and dedication, Advans Ghana reaffirmed its commitment to empowering women farmers through tailored financial solutions.
Shea Business Empowerment Programme: Transforming Lives
Advans Ghana has actively championed financial inclusion for women in agriculture through strategic partnerships with Bunge, Agriterra, the Ghana Shea Alliance (GSA), and various women cooperatives. Through these collaborations, the Shea Business Empowerment Programme was launched, providing financial access to women engaged in shea production across the Northeast, Northern, Upper West, and Savannah regions.
From 2023 to 2024, a total of 6,106 women across 34 shea cooperatives received tailored loans to support their production activities. Additionally, 2,108 cooperative leaders underwent financial literacy training, equipping them with essential knowledge to manage cooperative funds effectively. These leaders have since shared their insights with approximately 30,000 members, fostering financial independence and sustainability within their communities.
In two successful loan cycles, Advans Ghana disbursed GHS 3,048,272, achieving an outstanding 100% loan recovery rate. This milestone underscores the financial discipline and commitment of women cooperatives, reinforcing the value of financial literacy and well-structured loan products.
Strengthening Partnerships for Greater Impact
Advans Ghana’s collaboration with Bunge and Agriterra has been instrumental in expanding financial opportunities for women in shea production. In 2024 alone, the number of supported shea cooperatives increased from four to six. During the 2024 shea season, a total of GHS 721,558 was disbursed to 1,273 women, again with a 100% loan recovery rate.
This success not only highlights the financial reliability of women cooperatives but also signals the potential for scaling up these initiatives in the coming years. Advans Ghana remains dedicated to working with its partners to ensure continuous improvements in financial products tailored to the unique needs of shea producers.
Addressing Challenges and Ensuring Sustainability
Despite these achievements, challenges persist. The 2024 shea season was marked by poor fruiting of shea trees, affecting production levels. Women farmers have also expressed the need for increased loan amounts to better support their activities. Advans Ghana is actively assessing these concerns and working on refining its financial solutions to enhance long-term sustainability.
One critical challenge facing the shea industry is the alarming rate of shea tree loss due to deforestation and bush burning. Reports from the GSA estimate that nearly 8 million shea trees are lost annually across West Africa. This threatens not only the livelihoods of women farmers but also the sustainability of the entire shea value chain. Advans Ghana is calling on local chiefs, women cooperatives, and stakeholders to collaborate on conservation efforts to protect shea parklands for future generations.
Looking Ahead: A Commitment to Growth
As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility, Advans Ghana remains committed to celebrating and supporting farmers annually. The Farmers’ Day event serves as an opportunity to recognize the hard work of women farmers, encourage sustainable agricultural practices, and strengthen partnerships within the shea value chain.
Looking ahead to 2026, Advans Ghana is in active discussions with Bunge and other partners to develop long-term financial strategies for supporting shea cooperatives. Stakeholder input will be instrumental in shaping these initiatives, ensuring they align with the evolving needs of women farmers.
Celebrating Excellence
As the Farmers’ Day event came to a close, Advans Ghana extended its heartfelt congratulations to all award winners. For those who did not receive awards this year, the message was clear: keep striving, as greater achievements lie ahead.
On behalf of Advans Ghana, we express our deepest gratitude to all partners, community leaders, and most importantly, the hardworking women farmers who continue to drive economic growth through their resilience and innovation.
The journey towards financial empowerment and agricultural sustainability is ongoing, and Advans Ghana stands ready to support every step of the way.