Praise for Ghanaian Micro Business
Weeds rarely are welcome in the garden soil, especially if it happens to be a York, a tree-like weed that has been known to consume arable farm lands in Ghana. That’s when Muhammad Bin Abubkar saw an economic opportunity that could not only get rid of York weeds, but help generate a micro business to bring income to 800 people in the Ghanaian village of Teherye.
Let’s begin with the weed, called Broussonetia papyrifera, or York. It can consume arable land in a short time, growing 25-meter trees and a system of seeds and shoots that turns food-producing areas into wastelands. Ghanaians may once have called it Devil’s Teak, now they see it as a raw material that can bring income to the villagers of Techeyre, who operate a micro business making biodegradable matting that is used for erosion control and slope stabilization at the nearby gold mining operation.
This micro business jute mat operation was conceived by Abubakar, a dedicated Newmont Mining nursery manager who has left behind a large trail of good work, including growing a shaded forest where once there were only mining tailings. Bin, as he is known, says he learned of a way to use the tree when he worked at Newmont’s Indonesian operations.
In the village of Techeyre, some 800 people join in stripping bark from these trees. Bark stripped, the trees die within two weeks and will stop producing seeds. The dead timber can be used for minor construction needs or for cooking fuel, and much of the sawdust is used for growing at Bin’s nursery.
Then it’s time to treat the moneymaker, the bark. The fibrous material, taken from the bottom part of the tree, measures an average of one meter by five meters. This solid piece is first hammered flat so the fibrous structure can be pulled out, or woven into a continuous net material. The hammering process, where large hand-hewn mallets are used, resonates throughout the village with the sound of drums.
As Bin describes it, “ The mat is then woven into a mesh, just like chicken mesh, thus giving it the ability to trap eroded soil particles during storm periods.”
Beyond the environmental functionality of the jute mats, there is the micro business that has provided income for some 800 people where money or paying work are as scarce as the York is plentiful.
The difficulties posed by the York have been transformed into a solution, says Bin.
“So the jute mats are used for controlling erosion in our mining areas. Which now accounts for 800 people – ladies, men, and students in this area. And they are getting their livelihood from this work.”
About Glenn Meyers
