Notes on Ghana visit - Methodist



Report on a visit to Ghana (PART 4)

Steve Pearce

Mission Education Secretary (Children)

15-27 October 2003

Assin Nyankomasi

This poverty alleviation project was begun in the 1980s with help from MRDF. It gives local women the opportunity to grow or buy palm fruit and co-operate with others to use the machinery and know-how available at the project to produce cooking oil from the fruit and sell it at local markets.

Adwoa Nyamekye the little girl in the red dress is sorting kernel nuts. Her name means ‘God’s gift’. She and her sister ought to be in school but they are here with their mother earning for the family. Recently the cooking oil produced here has come under pressure from ‘Frytol’ cooking oil made by the Australian transnational Unilever. While it is not necessarily cheaper, it is widely advertised on television and has the superior image that foreign products seem to have in Ghana. This exacerbates their normal problem of the low price during the main harvest season from January to June when they try to store the oil rather than selling at the lower seasonal price, but then have little income to buy more fruit. When the price should rise later in the year ‘Frytol’ and the ‘market queens’ are forcing the price down. Market queens we discovered are powerful local traders who, through cartels, threats and control of local transport manage to control prices to their advantage.

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The oil project continues to develop its good practice, for instance minimising waste by learning new techniques for separating the very last amounts of oil and developing a process for turning the waste fruit fibre into blocks for fuel.

Other local products, such as the soap produced from palm oil, are affected by this growing desire for American/European products and foreign soaps such as ‘Lux’ or ‘Key’ are taking over. Local oranges are being spurned in favour of apples (which are not grown in Ghana) and mixtures of water, sugar and colourings made by Coca Cola.

We did however hear of some small-scale fair trade juice processing enterprises that are beginning.

A tree project has been developed here by the Women’s Fellowship, teak trees planted three years ago will be ready for harvest in five years time. In the meantime the struggle is to find funds for maintenance.

Accra

The inauguration of the new Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana in the cathedral was a splendid occasion. All clergy attended, as did the President of Ghana and four cabinet ministers, many traditional chiefs and representatives from other denominations were there. The chair of the World Methodist Council and the All Africa Christian Council brought greetings, the latter reminding those present that their new leader had a duty to all Africa not just Ghana, the future of the whole continent was a priority for African Christianity. This drew warm applause, unlike his comments on the church’s responsibility to speak out about HIV/AIDS.

Our group was splendidly attired in dresses and shirts made specially for the occasion, as were many other members of the occasion. It was a memorable and moving act of worship and a fitting end to an impressive and productive visit. So many brothers and sisters had warmly welcomed and gently taught us and we remain deeply grateful to MCG and all who offered us wonderful Ghanaian hospitality.

Steve Pearce

Mission Education Secretary (Children)

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