Green Africa Trade Engagements (GATE), a pioneering initiative co-founded by Joseph Atchulo and Theophile Bama, and recipient of the 2022 WAICA Reinsurance CSR award, proudly announces a landmark achievement: the introduction of comprehensive life insurance for women in the Shea Nut Value Chain across the Yendi, Mion, and Saboba districts in Northern Ghana. This initiative marks the first of its kind in Africa.
WAICA Reinsurance’s annual CSR competition, integral to its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) programs, challenges participants to devise innovative solutions to the region’s pressing ESG issues. This competition aligns with broader goals of fostering economic growth across Africa.
Emerging victorious in the 2022 competition, Green Africa Trade Engagements was awarded $100,000 by WAICA Reinsurance to fund the project titled “Empowering Rural Women in the Shea Nut Value Chain to be Financially Independent While Ensuring Environmental Sustainability.” The project’s primary goals include forming organized collector groups with at least 2,000 rural women, enhancing their technical skills for better Shea nut collection, and elevating their market access and financial status. A notable outcome is the formation of a Shea Nut Collectors Group with more than 3,200 participants spread over 70 rural communities.
In collaboration with Starlife Assurance Co Ltd, Ghana’s second-leading insurance company, GATE has tailored a life insurance scheme safeguarding women against prevalent dangers in Shea Nut collection, such as snake bites—a common and often fatal risk due to the financial barriers to obtaining medical care. The insurance policy addresses other critical risks including total and permanent disability, critical illnesses, and provides substantial death benefits, ensuring that children maintain a decent standard of living following their mother’s demise. The policy covers each woman with a benefit of GHC 6200.
GATE is dedicated to not only improving the financial wellbeing of these women but also shares 20% of its profits as bonuses. Additionally, every woman commits to planting two (2) Shea trees annually, reinforcing the commitment to environmental sustainability and curtailing the excessive felling of Shea trees for charcoal, which threatens their livelihood.
Dubbed as “women’s gold,” the Shea tree’s preservation is vital for the sustenance of these communities. With the steadfast support of WAICA Reinsurance Corporation PLC, GATE’s efforts are not only ensuring the financial and physical health of these women but also aligning with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, empower women, and sustain the environment. This achievement is a significant milestone in the history of rural women empowerment and social justice in Africa.
Partnership with Grassroot Rural Outreach & Welfare (GROW) Green Africa Trade Engagement (GATE) is partnering with Grassroot Rural Outreach & Welfare (GROW), an NGO that will collect funds to support the initiative
Add comment