Olam Food Ingredients Ghana-Cashew (OFI Ghana-Cashew), a giant in Ghana’s cashew and cocoa processing sector, has responded to JoyNews’ appeal for victims of the Gbeniyiri conflict with relief support.
This comes barely a week after JoyNews appealed to institutions and philanthropists to support victims of the conflict, which claimed lives and destroyed properties in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba and Bole districts of the Savannah Region.
The company donated 200 bags of rice and 78 boxes of tomato paste to returnees in eight communities, including widows whose husbands have either been killed or remain missing.
Beneficiary communities and institutions included Chancheri, Sogoyiri, and Komkrope in the Bole district, as well as Brema, a suburb of Sawla.
The donation also extended to security agencies and the palaces of the Sawlawura and Kalbawura.
Unlike previous relief efforts that relied on third parties, OFI Ghana-Cashew presented the items directly to victims in their communities—a move praised by beneficiaries as transparent and helpful.
Speaking to JoyNews at Chancheri, General Manager of OFI Ghana-Cashew, Raphael Yussif Amankwa, explained that the gesture was a response to the JoyNews appeal and also a demonstration of true partnership with the affected people, many of whom are cashew farmers.
“We’re basically here to show true partnerships and also to respond to your outfit’s [JoyNews] appeal for support to the displaced people who have worked with us for the past 30 years in the cashew industry in Bole, Sawla, and Tuna areas,” Mr. Amankwa said.
He noted the heavy toll of the conflict, particularly as it comes during the peak of the farming season.
“OFI is paving the way, and we’d like to appeal to other institutions, including government agencies, NGOs, and individuals, to emulate us and support the victims,” he added.
According to Mr Amankwa, the Bole-Sawla-Tuna enclave accounts for almost 40 per cent of the company’s cashew volume.
He stressed that peace was crucial for both the farmers and the business.
“Where there’s no peace, definitely our market shares, the farmers, and everyone will suffer. So, as an organisation, whatever we can do to support peace and bring comfort to the communities, that is why we are here,” he said.
Each beneficiary received a bag of rice and four tins of tomato paste.
Victims shared their struggles with JoyNews.
Forty-year-old widow Martha Saayori recounted: “My husband was killed during the fight, leaving me with three children to cater for. I can only rely on institutions like OFI to feed them, but their education is another matter.”
Another victim, Kojou Andrews, narrated how he lost four of his children during the conflict.
“We were in Chancheri when the fighting started. Myself and all nine of my children were running, but they fell into the river. We managed to rescue five, but I lost four. My worries are my children and the widows here. We are praying to God for peace to return.”
At the palaces of the Sawlawura and Kalbawura, both chiefs commended OFI Ghana-Cashew for its intervention and urged the company to help in educating the public against fueling the conflict through social media.
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