Women in Timber Ghana Association (WiTG), the first ever national association of women entrepreneurs in the timber industry and forest sector has been officially launched.
On Wednesday, May 18, 2022, an association which is to serve as a platform to promote the contributions of women in the forestry sector while offering opportunities for building their capacities to ensure that they manage their businesses viably was launched under the theme “Strengthening women’s participation in forestry and wood industry in Ghana”. Prior to the launch, members of the association organized a float where they marched through the principal streets of Kumasi in the early hours of Tuesday, May 17, 2022, to openly announce the formation of the association, amid music.
The association was earlier registered with the Registrar of Companies as Women in Timber – Ghana (WiTG) in February, 2022. Starting with a founding membership of 30 women, their numbers had increased to 150 at time of its launching, and about a dozen more in the process of completing their membership registration. Intensive membership drive has been embarked upon to reach women in the forestry sector nationally.
The key note address at the launch was delivered by Mrs. Edith Abruquah, acting Executive Director of the Forest Services Division of the Forestry Commission of Ghana, on behalf of the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel Abu Jinapor, MP. He underscored the need and relevance of women who hitherto have been underrepresented in the value chain to come together to build their capacities to better manage their businesses, promote networking as well as seek recognition for themselves in forest sector governance.
He remarked that he took a positive impression of the women as one of the objectives of the association is “To join forces with individuals or organizations to tackle resource issues such as reforestation of degraded portions of the forest for future supply of raw materials and the fight against climate change”. He thus invited them to join the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources on June 10, 2022 – The Green Ghana Day – to plant 20 million trees across the country as part of government’s aggressive reforestation and afforestation agenda to restore the lost forest cover of Ghana and contribute to global efforts to fight climate change.
The President of WiTG, Mrs. Ernestina Owusu Banahene, in her address noted that within male dominated spaces, gender based affirmative action has proven to remedy gender inequality for women to be able to also show their abilities and capacities allowing society to benefit from them. Given that the role of women in the male-dominated forestry sector deserves the needed recognition, it became prudent for the women to come together to project their importance and contributions in the forest sector, hence the Women in Timber-Ghana (WiTG) Association. She affirmed that what the WiTG will create is the platform which offers tailored solutions towards addressing industry challenges that are affecting the women.
"Within male dominated spaces, gender based affirmative action has proven to remedy gender inequality for women to be able to also show their abilities and capacities allowing society to benefit from them"
- Ernestina Owusu Banahene, President, WiTG
Minister Abu Jinapor commended the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office of the UKaid and their Forest Governance, Markets and Climate (FGMC) programme that two CSOs, the Kumasi Wood Cluster Association (KWC) and the Nature and Development Foundation (NDF) benefitted from since 2018 to support Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPA) projects which has provided the funding that has made it possible for the formation of the WiTG. He further appealed that as a young and budding association, assistance will be required from within Ghana, the UKAid and other donors, for additional funding support to assist the programmes that WiTG will develop and pursue to enable them grow to become a formidable force to reckon with within the sector.
