Empowering Women Through Value Addition: How the KIC Women Bootcamp Is Transforming Lives in Ayeresu Community

In Ayeresu, Awutu Senya West District of Ghana’s Central Region, a quiet but powerful transformation is taking place. Young women who once depended on informal, low-income activities are now building confidence, skills, and sustainable livelihoods through the KIC Women Bootcamp initiative.

The initiative, led by Kosmos Innovation Center, in partnership with Dorthnoch, a youth- led -organization, focuses on equipping young women with practical agribusiness skills that enable them to participate meaningfully in local value chains. In Ayeresu, the emphasis was on gari processing, a critical segment of the cassava value chain with strong market demand.

From Skills Training to Enterprise Growth
Through hands-on training sessions, beneficiaries learned improved gari processing techniques, hygiene standards, and quality control practices. Beyond capacity building, the intervention went a step further by providing processing machines and equipment (grinders and pressers), including gari frying pans, to support women-led enterprises, increase productivity, and improve income potential.

According to Benjamin Gyan-Kesse, Executive Director of Kosmos Innovation Center, the goal of the initiative goes beyond skills acquisition.
“Our objective is not just to train young women, but to equip them with the tools and confidence to build viable businesses. When young women are supported to add value to what they produce, entire households and communities’ benefit,” he said.

Stories of Change from the Ground
For many of the young women in Ayeresu, the training marked a turning point.
“Before this training, I processed gari the old way and struggled to make enough profit,” shared Charlotte Parbie, a beneficiary. “Now, with the new skills and equipment, my work is faster, my gari is better quality, and I earn more to support my family.”

Another participant, Juliana Odia, highlighted the confidence the program has given her:
“This training made me believe in myself. I now see gari processing as a business, not just survival. I am proud of what I do, and people respect my work.”

Strengthening Communities Through Women’s Economic Empowerment
What began as skills training has grown into enterprise development and economic empowerment, strengthening households and contributing to local economic activity. By focusing on value addition, the KIC Women Bootcamp ensures that women are better positioned to earn fair returns for their labour and participate actively in Ghana’s agribusiness ecosystem.

The Ayeresu experience reflects a broader commitment by Kosmos Innovation Center to promote inclusive growth, women’s empowerment, and sustainable agribusiness development across the country.

A Call to Partners
As the impact of the KIC Women Bootcamp continues to grow, Kosmos Innovation Center is calling on partners, institutions, and development stakeholders to join in scaling the initiative to reach more women and communities across Ghana.

By investing in women, the initiative is not only transforming individual lives but also building stronger, more resilient local economies.
For partnership inquiries: info@kicghana.org