The case study Unique Quality Product Enterprise: Empowering marginalised women in Ghana through reviving the cultivation of indigenous crops showcases a business model based on a market-leading approach to promote the production and processing of the cereal grain fonio. Fonio was once a major food crop across West Africa and is known for its nutritional value, taste and adaptability to local climate and soil conditions. However, the introduction of rice and other cereal crops largely replaced fonio. UQE believes in fonio’s commercial potential and identified community members who were still growing the crop for local consumption.
The enterprise engaged with local landholders and wider communities to gain access to infertile, unused land for women farmers. UQE promotes the expansion and harvesting of fonio crops using traditional methods. The enterprise established a partnership with a local women’s association to support its activities by employing the women members to process raw fonio. UQE has created a market for fonio by purchasing the crop in bulk from farmers, paying a processing fee to the processors, and then selling the product under the label Dim Fonioto domestic and international markets.
The new case study series that emanated from the SWITCH Africa Green project "Promoting Eco-Entrepreneurship in Africa", implemented by SEED, showcases how innovative eco-inclusive start-up enterprises in Africa shape sustainable development on the ground. The individual case studies are enhanced with short multimedia features that showcase the innovation, the partnership, the support from SEED and the overall impact of each enterprise.
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