My spouse Anne and I made a decision to go to Ghana after our pal 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 finished fairly a little bit of journey to different worldwide locations in Europe, I used to be shocked to search out Ghana far more chaotic and noisy than anticipated (notably the site visitors!), but in addition 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 undoubtedly nonetheless affecting the economic system and skill 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 shortly turn into one of many premier locations for vacationers wishing to go to West Africa, notably for a lot of African-Individuals all for returning to the land the place their ancestors have been shipped out as slaves. Cape Coast Fortress 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 neighborhood of Moree, brings us as much as a quiet constructing with a big walled courtyard shaded from the beating solar with a wonderful hand-made straw roof. Dwelling of his “Obokese Basis” and “Obokese College of Excellence”, that is the place Nana and his staff work diligently to assist the close by neighborhood of Moree and the encircling areas by way of entrepreneurial, enterprise, academic, and management lessons. On the ground is a big plaster-built curled-up tiger, and Nana sits on the throne chair along with his ft resting under him on a pillow.
The Chiefdom neighborhood is alive and properly in Ghana. It exists as a well-respected establishment for neighborhood management, each by politicians in addition to frequent folks. The identify “Nana” is the Akan/Fante expression for the ruler or chief, and Nana Obokese is the regional ruler of the neighborhood of Moree, a sprawling city simply outdoors of Cape Coast within the historic Asebu area. Moree and the encircling areas has a inhabitants of over 100,000 folks, and is dwelling to the historic Fort Nassau, the primary Dutch buying and selling submit established within the early 17th century for partaking within the slave commerce.
In the present day Moree is dwelling to a bustling fishing economic system, with Nana Obokese himself to thank for a lot of current rebranding efforts to be often known as the “Metropolis of Gentle”. Driving into the city as evening 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 way of the dust 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 in the present day’s catch, preserving the fish for future cargo inland to markets in Kumasi and Accra. The economic system and society of Ghana’s Akan folks is inherently matriarchal, the place girls make lots of the monetary choices within the household and switch property and inheritance rights.
We discuss to a couple girls 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” gas and the mending of fishing nets. Nonetheless, additionally it is a neighborhood that wants primary companies like meals and beverage distribution, hair styling and trend, and social companies.
By making Wisconsin Microfinance loans out there, Moree will be capable to handle many infrastructure issues together with sanitation, flooding, road lights and highway networks. There’s a robust demand for these microfinance loans, which can inject a lot wanted capital into the economic system of Moree. Nana Obokese defined that he has an obligation to assist the residents of his neighborhood, whose issues typically heart across the lack of cash. If someone will get harm and desires surgical procedure, there are little sources out there as a result of most individuals don’t have a financial savings funds out there. Extra capital circulating locally will ease this burden and make bigger infrastructure tasks out there. A lot of the building tasks in Ghana occur with out capital advances like mortgages or building loans. In consequence, building on properties and buildings solely occurs when a sum of cash turns into out there as revenue, and investing in building of their property is a approach to solidify these belongings.
Nana Obokese is dedicated to creating Moree right into a vibrant neighborhood. 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 girls. 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 out there for the poor at this financial institution department, nevertheless they’re required to cost the next rate of interest than what we might be capable to provide with Wisconsin Microfinance. As well as the mortgage functions at this financial institution are on the person degree – by utilizing lending teams Wisconsin Microfinance will be capable to depend on neighborhood social stress to supply loans to folks with much less credit score historical past. We will 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 attempt on some conventional Ghanaian clothes, a celebration of our appreciation for Ghanaian tradition and a enjoyable approach to finish our go to.
The necessity for capital in Ghana is nice, and by concentrating on the neighborhood 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.