By: Isaac Darko Boamah<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tamale, Northern Region \u2014 As part of Chocolate Day and Valentine\u2019s 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\u2011supporting women\u2019s groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fund, an initiative of the member of parliament, supported by local fund managers and volunteers, will provide interest\u2011free microloans over the next three years with the stated goal of supporting 5,000 women\u2011owned small enterprises across Tamale North. Fund managers said the scheme is designed to boost livelihoods, promote financial inclusion and catalyse small\u2011scale economic activity among women traders, artisans and processors in both urban and peri\u2011urban communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an exclusive interview with Metro Lens Newspaper, Mr. Suhuyini expressed gratitude to the team behind the scheme. \u201cI\u2019m personally grateful to the Fund Managers, the hardworking Constituency Executives and well wishers,\u201d he said, adding that the initiative reflects a broader commitment to empower women and strengthen household incomes in the constituency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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 \u2014 during Valentine\u2019s\/Chocolate Day festivities \u2014 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How the 1Heart Fund will work<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the Amp, the 1Heart Fund will disburse interest\u2011free loans through a roster of locally vetted Fund Managers and the constituency\u2019s development committees. The scheme targets women\u2019s groups operating small enterprises \u2014 including petty trading, food processing and retail, tailoring and agri\u2011processing activities such as shea processing \u2014 and aims to reach 5,000 beneficiaries over three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Voices from beneficiaries<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the launch event, beneficiaries expressed optimism that the loans will help expand existing businesses and smooth cash\u2011flow constraints that frequently limit growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSmall capital is what many of us need to buy stock in bulk and increase our daily income,\u201d said one group leader, who received support. \u201cThis fund gives us hope that we can grow our businesses and support our families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Political and development context<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
some of the constituents said the 1Heart Fund\u2019s scale \u2014 the pledge to reach 5,000 enterprises \u2014 will require careful implementation and monitoring to be effective. If managed well, beneficiaries argue, interest\u2011free lending could provide much\u2011needed capital to women entrepreneurs who often lack access to formal banking services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is about turning small resources into sustainable enterprises,\u201d Suhuyini told Metro Lens, echoing the fund\u2019s guiding philosophy. The campaign behind the launch carried the message: It is Possible_Together with Focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By: Isaac Darko Boamah Tamale, Northern Region \u2014 As part of Chocolate Day and Valentine\u2019s 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\u2011supporting women\u2019s groups. The fund, an initiative of the member of parliament,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7008,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7006","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","th-blog blog-single has-post-thumbnail"],"yoast_head":"\n