Karakara Alhassan Abdulwakeel, Osabuohien Evans S, Nwachukwu Jacinta C, Osabohien Romanus A
School of Economics, University of Cape Coast, Ghana.
Centre for Economic Policy and Development Research (CEPDeR), Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria.
Afr J Reprod Health. 2021 Nov;25(s5):147-158. doi: 10.29063/ajrh2021/v25i5s.14.
In Ghana, like many African countries, women are financially disadvantaged compared to men, which has encouraged women to form credit associations. This paper examined the "Pagwuni" Women's Group (PWG) in the Northern region of Ghana, where over 93 percent of members are smallholder farmers. Women make regular membership and social fund contributions with records kept in a secured 'money-box', opened at an agreed time. Members receive their money according to the amount contributed while the 'social fund' is for purchasing farm inputs. This study analysed the effect of the Pagwuni Women Group (PWG) financing activities on the financial needs of the group and their households' economic welfare. The study also examined the kind of innovation that this PWG adopts that differs from the traditional Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA). In investigating the sustainability of this 'money-box' model, data was sourced from 150 participants and the group administrators using a mixed research method. Three significant findings were uncovered. First, 93.3 percent of the respondents are peasant farmers. Second, 86.7percent indicated that this money-box arrangement is their only form of savings. Hence, since PWG is a woman-only group, it offers a good opportunity to understand the interconnections between gender and the economic welfare, enhancing the potential benefits of such group savings associations. Third, access to the social fund component of money-box helped the female participants to acquire the equipment and services needed to modernise their farming activities. Policy recommendations to link such rural money box initiatives with formal financial institutions to help channel funds to small-scale female farmers are discussed.
在加纳，和许多非洲国家一样，女性在经济上相对于男性处于劣势，这促使女性成立信贷协会。本文研究了加纳北部地区的“帕格武尼”妇女团体（PWG），该团体超过93%的成员是小农户。女性定期缴纳会费和社会基金，记录保存在一个安全的“钱箱”中，在约定时间开启。成员根据贡献的金额领取资金，而“社会基金”用于购买农业投入品。本研究分析了帕格武尼妇女团体（PWG）的融资活动对该团体财务需求及其家庭经济福利的影响。研究还考察了这个PWG采用的不同于传统乡村储蓄与贷款协会（VSLA）的创新形式。在调查这种“钱箱”模式的可持续性时，采用混合研究方法从150名参与者和团体管理人员那里获取了数据。发现了三个重要结果。第一，93.3%的受访者是农民。第二，86.7%的人表示这种钱箱安排是他们唯一的储蓄形式。因此，由于PWG是一个全女性团体，它提供了一个很好的机会来理解性别与经济福利之间的相互联系，增强此类团体储蓄协会的潜在益处。第三，使用钱箱中的社会基金部分帮助女性参与者获得了使农业活动现代化所需的设备和服务。文中讨论了将此类农村钱箱倡议与正规金融机构联系起来以帮助将资金导向小规模女性农民的政策建议。
