Mr. David Owusu-Ansah is a happy- go-lucky gentleman who is married and blessed with 6 children. He is a client of Abuakwa branch and a member of Nkosuo Trust Group. His father was a store keeper and his mother a farmer, but when the client completed his SHS program, his father had an accident and was paralyzed and so it was difficult for him to pursue his academic dreams. As a result, the client travelled to Lome in Togo for greener pastures.
David became a shoe shine boy at Lome until he met a Ghanaian who was working with an electrical/welding company in Lome who enrolled him as an apprentice in the company to learn new skill. His expectations were met in Togo but later war erupted in Togo and so he moved to Nigeria, where he was using his electrical/welding skill to earn a living.
David wanted to travel to Europe with the money he had saved but he received help from a Nigerian friend who patronizes his services. This friend helped him secure a shop and was dealing in spare parts and vehicles between Nigeria and Ghana. He was doing well in Nigeria but decided to return home after receiving message then, that the Ghanaian economy had improved while that of Nigeria had started deteriorating.
Back in Ghana, David started a poultry farm in his uncle abandoned poultry farm. He had about 2,500 birds, when the birds started laying, they were attacked by bird flu, the mortality was high and eventually he lost all the birds.
sections of David’s pigs and piglets in their sty.
Later, a friend introduced him to pig farming where he used the poultry pen to start with 4 pigs and now he owns about 400 pigs.
David was fortunate to have heard of Opportunity International Savings and Loans Ltd. through a friend to grow his pig farm when it became necessary. His first loan amount was GHS700 with the Nkosuo Trust Group and his current loan amount is GHS70,000
He came to know that pigs thrive well on the husk of rice. That encouraged him to diversify into rice farming business and through that he added a rice mill with his own investment and took a loan to purchase a thresher. The residue from the rice mill feeds the pigs and he rents the thresher to other rice farmers in his community to generate additional income.
He needed a tri-cycle to transport the feeds and so took a loan to purchase one which he hires to other people when not in use.
The client ventured into pawpaw farming as it was also a good business in his community. He used other loans received from OISL to purchase pawpaw seedlings and grew them on a 10-acre family land. He harvests and sells the pawpaw to traders and feed the pigs with the ones that do not come out well.
David’s thresher and tricycle for his business and renting purposes.
David also planted cassava among the pawpaw, the cassava is about 9-acres of his pawpaw land. He harvests and sells the fresh cassava roots as well as the dried ones (konkonte) and the peels of the cassava are also used to feed the pigs. The client planned very well to feed his pigs with good and healthy food but with no or less cost.
David was introduced to coconut farming which he has taken his current loan to grow on his 3.5-acre family land. He has also purchase a plot of land he wants to build on. He is taking care of all his six children through primary, secondary and tertiary schools.
The loans have enabled him to diversify his business, he now owns six businesses: the piggery, the tri-cycle for transport, the mill and thresher for hiring, the pawpaw farm, the cassava farm and the coconut plantation. He is also working on his building project. He has more than 8 permanent workers and hires over 20 laborers who assist him in business through which they also earn their income.
The client’s family is so proud of him because of his achievements and his ability to provide for both immediate and remote family members. David’s community are blessed to have him provide variety of services to them. The high patronage of his services also encourages him to invest more in his community.
