The United Nations (UN) through the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) paid a working visit to the Kokoo Pa Farmer-Based Organization in Nsuta-Nyame Bekyere. The visit led by Mr. Zia Choudhury, UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana, focused on the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) model, exploring its benefits, challenges, and future prospects.
Community members shared how their collective contributions are pooled into a common fund that supports savings and provides small loans for education, household needs and business ventures. They also spoke about how the VSLA system has strengthened unity, trust and financial discipline within their community.
The UN Resident Coordinator commended the group and emphasized several key messages.





“What I want to share with you is that VSLA is a self-managed and self-financing system that offers great benefits. It provides a reliable way for you to save, access funds when needed and create opportunities to get ahead,” he said.
“The second message I want to make is that it is important to expand this system to other parts of Ghana, so that more communities can also benefit from its opportunities.”
On strengthening the financial ecosystem, Mr. Choudhury spoke about engaging microfinance institutions to expand their services in ways that complement and support VSLA initiatives. He also touched on the growing role of e-cash and digital solutions in enhancing financial inclusion for rural communities.
He further appealed for continued lobbying on pressing national issues, stating: “I want to continue inviting UN country members to keep lobbying on the issue of galamsey ,so that together we can push for greater awareness and action.”
In his closing remarks, he highlighted the financial discipline demonstrated by rural communities: “People in rural areas have already shown remarkable discipline when it comes to saving and managing loans responsibly. In fact, the reality is that the higher and richer you are, the less you tend to understand money at the grassroots level and the less you trust in people’s abilities. But history shows that some of the most common loan defaulters in the world come from the richest people not from those at the rural level.”
The visit also provided an opportunity for experience-sharing between the UN team and the farmers deepening their understanding of how the VSLA model empowers rural households.
UN Delegation Present
- Mr. Zia Choudhury – UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana
- Ms. Roza Choibaeva – Head, UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Ghana
- Ms. Edinam Dzramedo – Executive Associate, UN Resident Coordinator’s Office
- Mr. Arnold Sylvester Appiah – FAO Ghana
- Mr. Abraham Yelley – Assistant National Facilitator, FAO
- Mr. Clifford Adagenera – FFF National Coordinator, FAO Ghana
Mr. David Youngs – FAO Co