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By Samuel SAM The Tamale North Branch of the ASA Savings and Loans Limited, a microfinance institution with a commitment to women’s health and early intervention, has organised a health outreach programme and free breast cancer screening for customers . The exercise, which was held in collaboration with the Breast Care Unit of Tamale Teaching Hospital and screened over 100 women, aimed at promoting early detection, education and free screenings, thereby prioritising the women’s health as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in the Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It was also aligned with the global “Pink October” campaigns, aimed at reducing late-stage diagnoses and support community well-being. In October 2025, ASA launched a nationwide breast cancer screening and health outreach programmes across its 15 branches while collaborating with medical teams for screenings, education on self-examinations and lifestyle awareness. Oncology Nurse Specialist Mad. Gifty Sarfo Annan expressed gratitude to the institution for the kind gesture, saying: “It has helped the women to know their health status and those affected to seek early medical care. According to her, one out of eight women record the cancer without knowing while 20 percent of men also get infected; hence, the need for all to go for medical check-ups. To ensure effective and efficient awareness, there is the need for corporate organisations to extend the awareness creation and the exercise to other communities, he said. She further educated women on warning signs like lumps, discharge, size changes and pain, urging early treatment while calling for support for affected victims and urging the public to desist from stigmatisation against persons with breast cancer. Area Manager – Tamale North ASA Saving and Loans, Mr. Martin Yenuman-Weingam, noted that the outfit – observing that majority of their clients are women who depend on trading and October being the month of breast cancer – decided to organise free health screening for them. He said the initiative is to build trust and strengthen community ties to address non-financial barriers that impact economic participation. The health status of the clients are paramount and giving back to society has been the priority of management, thereby underscoring ASA’s sustainability strategy pillar on health; hence the initiative, he said. “Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Ghanaian women, with over 4,400 cases reported annually per Ghana Health Service data; and ASA’s initiatives address barriers like low awareness and financial burdens of late-stage treatment”, he said. According to him, the office has been providing loans with low interest to the customers to expand their businesses. “So far, over 1,300 women have benefitted from the facility to cushion their businesses and able to contribute to the family needs. “As a financial institution, we are committed to promoting financial inclusion for clients, especially women entrepreneurs, to sustain and grow their businesses for economic growth,” he explained. He stressed that the institution also integrates financial literacy training to its client interactions, teaching budgeting, savings and debt management to empower its clients to make informed financial decisions.
