WEACT didn’t just give us equipment. It gave us confidence. Now I earn more, my family lives in peace, and I can help other women rise too.
In Northern Ghana, women working in shea, cocoa, food production and trading face daily inequality. Their work is seasonal, unpaid care responsibilities are heavy, and access to land, tools, transport and information is limited. Yet across these same communities, women are leading powerful economic and social change.
Through the WEACT programme (Women’s Economic Advancement for Collective Transformation), women are building year-round livelihoods, gaining leadership roles, and reshaping family and community life.
What is WEACT?
WEACT is a five-year programme supporting women in the shea and cocoa sectors across 18 communities in six regions of Ghana. Funded by Global Affairs Canada, the programme was implemented by seven local partners, including Oxfam’s geographic partner Tungtaiya Women Association (TWA).
Oxfam’s role focused on:
- Providing funding
- Procuring technical equipment
- Offering strategic programme advice under the Just Economies framework
Local partners like TWA led the work on the ground, running education sessions, engaging communities, implementing technology, and ensuring women’s voices shaped every decision.
Where We Visited
In September 2025, Oxfam and partners visited two WEACT communities in the Northern Region:
- Bunglung, Savelugu District
- Diarre, Northern Ghana
These visits captured the lived experiences of women whose livelihoods depend on seasonal agriculture, and how access to tools, training and collective action is changing what’s possible.
Three Areas of Impact
1. Stable, Year-Round Incomes
Before WEACT, many women relied on seasonal income from shea processing or farming. During low seasons, families struggled to survive.
With business training, processing machines, mills, tricycles and cooking equipment, women are now:
- Running non-seasonal businesses
- Building multiple income streams
- Doubling or tripling household income
Three Areas of Impact
1. Stable, Year-Round Incomes
Before WEACT, many women relied on seasonal income from shea processing or farming. During low seasons, families struggled to survive.
With business training, processing machines, mills, tricycles and cooking equipment, women are now:
- Running non-seasonal businesses
- Building multiple income streams
- Doubling or tripling household income
Women like Safura Abdulai, Zeinab Mohammed, Meli Alhassan and Salamatu Abdul-Rahaman have transformed small-scale activities into profitable enterprises — from shea butter and soap production to porridge, grain trading and roasted nuts.
I used to earn about 200 Ghana cedis from one bag of shea nuts. Now I can earn 600. I can process more, sell more, and plan for the future.— Zeinab Mohammed
2. Time Poverty Reduced, Care Work Shared
WEACT recognised that women’s unpaid domestic work was a major barrier to economic independence.
Through gender training and practical tools like mills, tricycles and water storage containers:
- Labour-intensive tasks take less time
- Care responsibilities are increasingly shared with men
- Women have time to focus on businesses, leadership and rest
This shift has had a powerful ripple effect at home.
3. Leadership, Rights and Community Change
WEACT also addressed social and legal barriers that prevent women from accessing information about their rights.
Women received training on leadership, governance and collective organising. As a result:
- Women gained access to land to farm commercially
- Domestic violence cases reduced
- Teenage pregnancy rates declined
- Girls stayed in school longer
In Bunglung, Sadiya Alhassan became the first female PTA treasurer — an uncommon role for women in her community. She now monitors school attendance, protects school land from encroachment, and advocates for better learning conditions.
In Bunglung, Sadiya Alhassan became the first female PTA treasurer — an uncommon role for women in her community. She now monitors school attendance, protects school land from encroachment, and advocates for better learning conditions.
Community-Wide Impact
Women now farm cash crops, travel to trade in larger markets, and support one another through cooperatives. Men and women serve as peace ambassadors, strengthening harmony across households and communities.
Life before and after WEACT is like night and day.— Seidu Abubakari, Community Leader, Diarre
What Still Needs Support
Despite its success, key gaps remain:
Transport
Tricycles have transformed women’s mobility and income, but demand far exceeds supply. Larger vehicles could help women access distant markets and increase production.
Water Access
Water scarcity, worsened by climate change, limits both daily life and shea processing. Storage containers have helped, but more investment is urgently needed.
Mills and Processing Equipment
Machines save time and increase income, but some communities lack funds to install or expand them. Existing processors are oversubscribed.
School Infrastructure
Women leaders are identifying urgent needs, from repairing classroom doors and windows to improving floors, so children can learn in safe environments.
A Programme That Works
WEACT is an exceptionally high-performing programme that has adapted and evolved over five years. By trusting local partners, listening to women, and investing in practical solutions, it has delivered lasting economic and social change.
Women are no longer just surviving seasonal work. They are self-sufficient, innovative, confident, and shaping the future of their communities.
