Suhuyini Supports 5000 Women with GHC 1M in Tamale North
By: Isaac Darko Boamah
Tamale, Northern Region — As part of Chocolate Day and Valentine’s Day celebrations, Suhuyini Alhassan, Member of Parliament for Tamale North and Deputy Minister for Roads, launched the 1Heart Fund in his constituency and disbursed initial loans to 23 self‑supporting women’s groups.
The fund, an initiative of the member of parliament, supported by local fund managers and volunteers, will provide interest‑free microloans over the next three years with the stated goal of supporting 5,000 women‑owned small enterprises across Tamale North. Fund managers said the scheme is designed to boost livelihoods, promote financial inclusion and catalyse small‑scale economic activity among women traders, artisans and processors in both urban and peri‑urban communities.
In an exclusive interview with Metro Lens Newspaper, Mr. Suhuyini expressed gratitude to the team behind the scheme. “I’m personally grateful to the Fund Managers, the hardworking Constituency Executives and well wishers,” he said, adding that the initiative reflects a broader commitment to empower women and strengthen household incomes in the constituency.
Suhuyini, a former media professional who has represented Tamale North in Parliament and serves in the Roads Ministry, told reporters the timing of the launch — during Valentine’s/Chocolate Day festivities — was intentional. He said the celebration offered a platform to pair community goodwill with practical support, transforming symbolic acts of care into sustained economic opportunity for families.
How the 1Heart Fund will work
According to the Amp, the 1Heart Fund will disburse interest‑free loans through a roster of locally vetted Fund Managers and the constituency’s development committees. The scheme targets women’s groups operating small enterprises — including petty trading, food processing and retail, tailoring and agri‑processing activities such as shea processing — and aims to reach 5,000 beneficiaries over three years.
He said group lending and community oversight mechanisms will be used to manage repayment and limit risk, while the constituency office will coordinate outreach and beneficiary selection. Fund managers also plan to link borrowers to basic financial literacy and business planning support to improve prospects for growth and timely repayment.
Voices from beneficiaries
At the launch event, beneficiaries expressed optimism that the loans will help expand existing businesses and smooth cash‑flow constraints that frequently limit growth.
“Small capital is what many of us need to buy stock in bulk and increase our daily income,” said one group leader, who received support. “This fund gives us hope that we can grow our businesses and support our families.”
Local development advocates welcomed the intervention, but emphasized the importance of complementary support such as market access, vocational training and ongoing mentorship to ensure loans translate into sustainable business growth.
Political and development context
Suhuyini Alhassan has been a prominent voice in the Tamale North constituency, known for advocacy on local development and infrastructure. Serving as Deputy Minister for Roads, he has highlighted the link between improved transport and market access for producers and traders.
some of the constituents said the 1Heart Fund’s scale — the pledge to reach 5,000 enterprises — will require careful implementation and monitoring to be effective. If managed well, beneficiaries argue, interest‑free lending could provide much‑needed capital to women entrepreneurs who often lack access to formal banking services.
“It is about turning small resources into sustainable enterprises,” Suhuyini told Metro Lens, echoing the fund’s guiding philosophy. The campaign behind the launch carried the message: It is Possible_Together with Focus.
As the loans begin circulating in Tamale North, constituents and development partners will be watching to see whether the 1Heart Fund can deliver measurable gains in incomes, business resilience and livelihood diversification for women across the constituency.