Jasikan: The District Working Group (DWG) for the Financial Inclusion for Last Mile Actors (FILMA) project aimed at reducing youth unemployment in rural Ghana has been inaugurated in Jasikan of the Oti Region. The project is a collaborative effort designed to target 100,000 young people, aged 15 to 35 years, across 18 districts in the Volta, Oti, Bono-East, and Northern regions.
According to Ghana News Agency, the FILMA project is co-created by the Mastercard Foundation, Temple Investments Limited, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), AV Ventures, and SEND GHANA. Temple Investments Limited is tasked with providing access to finance, while CRS handles mobilisation and capacity building. AV Ventures is responsible for ensuring access to market, and SEND GHANA is charged with ecosystem development by advocating for policies and programs that improve access to financial services for young people.
Mr. Joel Aweyam, Oti Regional Project Officer for SEND GHANA on the FILMA Project, explained that the initiative would work to dismantle cultural and structural barriers hindering young women and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) from accessing financial opportunities. This effort will be conducted at three levels, including the Gender Model Family (GMF) approach at the community level to tackle gender imbalances, the District Working Group (DWG), and the National Forum for Job Creation.
The newly inaugurated DWG in Jasikan includes representatives from various sectors such as Agriculture, Social Welfare and Community Development, Health Directorate, Gender Desk, National Youth Authority, National Identification Authority, media, credit unions, rural and commercial banks, private pension providers, and traditional authorities. Additional participants are drawn from the District Federation of the Disabled, GMF representatives, faith-based organizations, women and youth-focused groups, Village Savings and Loans Associations, and District Multipurpose Cooperatives.
Mr. Aweyam highlighted the DWG’s mission to foster relational change in the financial inclusion ecosystem and amplify the voice of vulnerable young women and PWDs, referred to as Last Mile Actors (LMAs). The group will promote policies and practices that favor financial inclusion for LMAs and facilitate events such as the FILMA District Annual Youth Job Creator, Youth in Agriculture, and Young Women in Agriculture awards.
The Group’s inaugural meeting has taken place, and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will soon be established between the DWG and SEND GHANA. This agreement will outline the specific activities each member will undertake, ensuring a coordinated effort throughout the project’s four-year duration.