Across Ghana, Kosmos Innovation Center (KIC) is empowering women in rural, and peri-urban communities through skills training, alternative livelihood capacity building, and access to finance initiatives under its Empower Her initiative and Women’s Bootcamp trainings.
Working in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and Kosmos Energy, KIC is transforming lives, fostering inclusion, and driving sustainable growth for many women and women farmer groups in these communities. The Women’s Bootcamp is designed to equip women with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to thrive in within the agricultural sector. By providing training in business development, financial literacy, value addition, and climate-smart agriculture, the program empowers women to take charge of their entrepreneurial journeys.
Through targeted community engagements, KIC reaches women from diverse backgrounds, ensuring that no region is left behind. Whether in the Northern savannah or the coastal regions, the Bootcamp provides hands-on training and mentorship, helping women transition from subsistence farming to sustainable agribusiness ventures.
In 2024, KIC undertook training initiatives to the Northern, Eastern, Central, and Volta Regions of Ghana, empowering women with skills to enhance their economic opportunities. As part of the program, beneficiaries received essential equipment and tools to support their businesses, including gari processing machines, charcoal ovens, palm oil digester, corn mill, rice mill, catfish starter packs, okro processors, baking ovens, and pastry-making starter kits. In total 71 machines and equipment were distributed to support these women-led enterprises.
In February this year, another series of training and capacity-building programs were organized for women in Wa and Jirapa in the Upper West Region of Ghana. The women were trained in making soya kebabs, while others received training in soap making, shea butter processing, and pastry making.
These interventions are aimed at equipping women with the necessary resources to improve productivity, create sustainable livelihoods, and contribute to local economic growth.
With time, these capacity building sessions have proven phenomenal in empowering many young women in these communities to become gainfully employed and have additional livelihood to supplement their income from farming activities. In all, a total of 1200 women have been trained. “To accelerate action in women’s agribusiness, we must go beyond empowerment to investment. At KIC, we are not just training women, we are creating a future where their businesses thrive, their voices are heard, and their impact is undeniable.” Mercy Tuffour, Gender and Safeguarding Specialist at KIC said.
The success of the Kosmos Innovation Center (KIC) Women’s Bootcamp is best reflected in the lives of its beneficiaries, women who have turned training into tangible opportunities for economic growth and self-reliance.
Meet Jamila Shido, a young unemployed woman who found hope and opportunity through the Women’s Bootcamp in her community. After receiving training in pastry making, Jamila took a bold step to start her own business.
“The training from KIC and its partners has really empowered me. Today I bake, sell pastries and earn a stable income, to contribute to my household,” she said.
Beyond pastry making, the Bootcamp also introduced several women to various vocational and agribusiness opportunities. Emmanuella Annan, a student, joined the bead-making training and has successfully launched her own business while continuing her studies. Her entrepreneurial journey is a testament to the power of skills development in creating financial independence.
Bernice Awindaug also leveraged the support received from the bootcamp to establish herself as a successful onion farmer. With the farm inputs provided, she transitioned from being an aspiring farmer to an onion producer, contributing to local food security and economic growth.
Together in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and Kosmos Energy, the Kosmos Innovation Center is building stronger, more equitable communities and a brighter future for all.
