The traders and businesswomen at the Dome Market in Accra were treated to a morning of great music, fantastic prizes, and wonderful fun when the Obaasima Summit made a stop there over the weekend.
The Activation dubbed the Dome Market Storm was done with the support of the Ga West Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Elizabeth Mann and long-time partners Guinness Ghana.
The event saw a number of the market women engage with members of the Obaasima group and the other sponsors of the project including UMB, ATL and Wilmar Africa Limited,Passion Air, Rwandair and NLA
The main partners of the project, Guinness Ghana, have supported previous activations across other venues as well and believe that a focus on the informal sectors of the economy, particularly the markets, helps to achieve the objectives Obaasima set out to meet when it was first established.
Supply Chain Gov, Guinness Ghana Roselyn Awotwi-Pratt maintained that
“At Guinness Ghana, working with Obaasima on the market storms helps us bring to life exactly what inclusion and diversity are. Most of the time you see that the focus is on the formal sector but for us, we’ve gone to the campuses and come to the market as well because it’s across the broad spectrum that you are able to get the full impact that you desire.”
“Being with the market women, helping them understand that they are small businesses on their own. Selling to make a profit means that you are somebody who has the capability to run a full business. The women need to know that they are also strong and empowered and have the tools to succeed in a country like ours.”
Traders were also offered some sound financial advice by the representatives from UMB who also gave some insight on some of the special packages tailored to the SME market.
Juanita Amanorki Tagoe, the Cluster Lead at Universal Merchant Bank mentioned that their bank’s partnership with the Obaasima Summit was an indication of their belief in what the Summit stands for as well as the importance of women in the Ghanaian society.
“A woman has to be financially stable so that we have a focused and stable family. We decided to partner with Obaasima so we can educate women on their finances and also tell them the various products that we have as a bank so that they can benefit from those products,” she said.
“Looking at the role that women play and how we can help as a bank, we intend to remain in this partnership in the long run.”
The Head of Sales and Marketing at the Akosombo Textiles (ATL), Petra Aba Asamoah explained that the themes of the Obaasima project melded perfectly with the values of the company and, as such, they did not hesitate in partnering with it when the opportunity came up.
“Obaasima is essentially focused on women. ATL is a brand that has been largely supported by women. When you talk about fabric and culture, women are really custodians of our tradition so it’s important for us to be part of something that speaks to the essence of women and looks to empower women,” she said.
The excited market women got chances to win souvenirs and prizes including from the various partners of the programme.