The goal of the project is to improve incomes and employment among small holder farmers.

Northern Ghana economy is predominantly agrarian. Agriculture plays an important role in sustaining the livelihoods of people. Sesame is a new commodity that offers significant income and empowerment opportunities for farmers, many of them women, in Northern Ghana.

Sesame is particularly suitable for the semi-arid conditions of Northern Ghana. SNV therefore developed the sesame project since 2013. The sesame project of SNV Ghana, Enhancing the competitiveness of the Sesame Value Chain for improved incomes of smallholder farmers in Northern Ghana, is a three-year DGIS funded project. It is considered the cocoa of northern Ghana that fits very well in the harsh climatic conditions of the savannah areas. The goal of the project is to improve incomes and employment among smallholder farmers.

These are: to improve the yield (productivity) of sesame; improve post-harvest management and processing; increase acreage under sesame cultivation and improve Market access for sesame producers

As an approach, the project places an emphasis on: strengthening farmer organisations into sustainable producer groups focused on the sesame business; strengthening access to improved seed, credit, produce aggregation and services such as extension and business management training and strengthening business linkages between the producer groups, local processors and buyers.