A women's cooperative in Northern Ghana since 2010

+233 20 032 2076info@dfwcooperatives.org
Development FrontiersWomen Cooperative

About us

A cooperative built by women, for women.

The story, values and purpose behind our mission to empower rural women across Northern Ghana.

Our storyMission & valuesWhere we workOur team
DFWC members holding bowls of shea butter they processed
Members roasting gari together over open pans
2010Founded in
East Gonja

Our story

From scattered groups to one strong cooperative.

Development Frontiers Women Cooperative (DFWC) is an association of women shea collectors and aggregators founded in 2010 in the East Gonja Municipality. It now brings together over 3,000 women in groups across 35 communities, and has expanded to four more districts.

DFWC grew out of the women's groups that benefited from livelihood programmes run by Development Frontiers, a local NGO, in East Gonja, Zabzugu, Mion, North East Gonja and Karaga. The groups decided to form an umbrella cooperative across these locations to strengthen collective action and break into the market, especially for shea and gari.

Visit Development Frontiers

Our journey

Growing together.

  1. 2010

    Founded in East Gonja

    Women's groups supported by Development Frontiers unite as an umbrella cooperative of shea collectors and aggregators.

  2. 35

    Communities join

    Groups form across 35 communities, organising collective buying, processing and selling of shea and gari.

  3. 5

    Districts reached

    The cooperative expands beyond East Gonja to North East Gonja, Zabzugu, Mion and Karaga.

  4. 3,000+

    Members today

    More than 3,000 women now save, train, process and sell together as one cooperative.

Mission, vision and values

Our mission

To champion the economic and social transformation of rural women through collective action.

Our vision

A sustainable and equitable society that empowers rural women to achieve economic and social justice and to actively participate in community development.

Our values

Nine values guide how we work with members, partners and each other.

  • Honesty
  • Self-help
  • Teamwork
  • Co-creation
  • Transparency
  • Empowerment
  • Caring for others
  • Social responsibility
  • Equality and inclusiveness

Where we work

35 communities across five districts.

Our groups are spread across the Savannah and Northern regions, coordinated from our office in Salaga.

  • East GonjaSavannah RegionWhere DFWC began in 2010
  • North East GonjaSavannah Region
  • ZabzuguNorthern Region
  • MionNorthern Region
  • KaragaNorthern Region

Our commitment

Who we are, in brief.

Members holding up products made by the cooperative

  1. Background

    DFWC is a multipurpose association of women farmers, shea collectors, and shea butter and gari processors, founded in 2010 in East Gonja in the Savannah Region of Ghana.

  2. Membership

    The cooperative brings together over 3,000 women organised in groups across 35 communities.

  3. Expansion

    Although the first groups came solely from East Gonja, the cooperative now also includes groups in North East Gonja, Zabzugu, Mion and Karaga.

  4. Safeguarding

    DFWC keeps a safe and inclusive environment for all members and stakeholders, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion or physical ability. We do not tolerate harassment, discrimination or violence, and we continually train members on safety and security.

Our team

The people behind the cooperative.

  • Portrait of Zakaria Iddi, Executive Director

    Zakaria Iddi

    Executive Director

  • Portrait of Iddrisu Zulhairu, Finance & Administrative Officer

    Iddrisu Zulhairu

    Finance & Administrative Officer

  • Portrait of Fuseini Issah, Development & Sustainability Officer

    Fuseini Issah

    Development & Sustainability Officer

  • Portrait of Victoria Bidnakin, Gender & Grants Officer

    Victoria Bidnakin

    Gender & Grants Officer

Our family

Part of the Development Frontiers family.

DFWC works alongside two sister organisations based in Northern Ghana.

Parent NGO

Development Frontiers

A Tamale-based NGO working on agriculture, climate adaptation, water and sanitation, local economic development and policy advocacy, and the organisation from which DFWC's groups first grew.

developmentfrontiersgh.org
Sister organisation

Farmers & Developers

Farming and development advisory for communities, businesses and NGOs, plus farm inputs, seedlings and produce.

farmersanddevelopers.org

Working with

Our trusted partners

  • STAR-Ghana Foundation
  • BUSAC Fund
  • Global Shea Alliance
  • Shea Network Ghana
  • WiLDAF Ghana (Women in Law & Development in Africa)
  • District Assemblies

Stand with the women of Northern Ghana.

Partner on a programme, sponsor a women's group, buy from the cooperative or support our work with a donation. Get in touch and we will find the right way together.

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