German Development Cooperation inaugurates Ghana’s first all-female scrap dealers association into SMIDO

The German Development Cooperation and the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) have inaugurated the first all-female Scrap Dealer Association. This association is called LEWSA and is now part of the Suame Magazine Industrial Development Organisation (SMIDO).

LEWSA's inclusion ensures they have a voice in decision-making processes. It also strengthens their role in the e-waste and scrap value chain. The Suame Magazine Market in Kumasi is known for skilled welders, mechanics, and scrap traders.

This market has been an artisan hub since the 1990s. It covers over 200 acres and employs around 15,000 workers. These workers specialize in dismantling vehicles, recycling plastic waste, and trading electronic scrap.

Female scrap workers face many challenges in this male-dominated sector. They often have lower bargaining power and less access to training opportunities. Despite their important role, they are excluded from discussions about pricing and safety.

To address these issues, German Development Cooperation and MESTI have worked with women in Kumasi for five years. They focused on raising environmental awareness, improving safety standards, and providing training.

In 2023, they launched the Ladies in E-Waste and Scraps Association (LEWSA). Since then, LEWSA has received technical training and registered over 350 new members. They developed safe trade guidelines for women entrepreneurs and acquired tricycles to support their work.

Emmanuella Serwaa Gyawu from ECOCENT Recycling shared her excitement about LEWSA’s integration into SMIDO. She noted that women's confidence has increased since forming the association. For the first time, they approached police for support to protect their business.

Key stakeholders attended the event, including officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and local government. They congratulated LEWSA on its achievements. They emphasized that joining SMIDO would help protect them from fraudulent traders.

The E-Waste Project is commissioned by Germany's Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). GIZ implements it in Ghana with MESTI's partnership to improve e-waste handling conditions.