OFFCOP, with FAO–FFF Support, Facilitates NHIS Registration and Renewal for Vulnerable Households in Ashanti Region
With support from the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Offinso Fine Flavour Cocoa Farmers Cooperative and Marketing Society Limited (OFFCOP) has successfully facilitated a comprehensive National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) registration and renewal exercise aimed at improving access to social protection services for vulnerable households across selected communities in the Ashanti Region.
The exercise, which was carried out from December 8 to December 12, 2025, was implemented in collaboration with the Offinso NHIS Office and the Department of Social Welfare. It focused on enrolling new beneficiaries and renewing expired NHIS memberships for members of vulnerable households within OFFCOP’s operational areas, while also creating awareness on available social and public services in Ghana.
The outreach covered five communities across three districts in the Ashanti Region. In the Offinso Municipal District, the exercise was conducted at Koforidua and Namong–Wenchi. Abroma in the Afigya Kwabre North District also benefited from the intervention, while Barekesse and Worapong in the Atwima Nwabiagya North District were included as part of the targeted communities.
Through the joint efforts of OFFCOP, NHIS officials, and officers from the Department of Social Welfare, a total of 258 vulnerable household members were newly registered onto the National Health Insurance Scheme. In addition, 548 beneficiaries successfully renewed their expired NHIS cards, ensuring uninterrupted access to healthcare services. The initiative significantly reduced financial and logistical barriers that often prevent vulnerable rural households from maintaining active health insurance coverage.
Beyond the registration and renewal process, beneficiaries were sensitized on their rights and entitlements under Ghana’s social protection framework. Education sessions focused on the importance of maintaining active NHIS membership, procedures for accessing healthcare services, and the role of social welfare institutions in supporting women, children, the elderly, and persons living in vulnerable conditions. Participants were also guided on how to seek assistance from relevant public service access points when faced with social or economic challenges.
Speaking on the intervention, OFFCOP emphasized that the initiative forms part of its broader commitment under the FAO–FFF programme to promote social inclusion, strengthen community resilience, and improve access to essential services for farming households. The cooperative noted that ensuring access to healthcare is critical to sustaining livelihoods in cocoa-growing communities, where vulnerable groups are often disproportionately affected by health-related shocks.
The collaboration between OFFCOP, FAO–FFF, NHIS, and the Department of Social Welfare underscores the importance of multi-stakeholder partnerships in advancing social protection and reducing vulnerability in rural communities. By bringing services closer to beneficiaries, the initiative not only enhanced healthcare access but also reinforced the role of coordinated institutional support in promoting sustainable development within Ghana’s cocoa-growing and forest-fringe areas.
The successful implementation of the exercise has been widely welcomed by beneficiaries and community leaders, who described it as timely and impactful. OFFCOP has reaffirmed its commitment to continue working with development partners and state institutions to expand social protection interventions that improve the wellbeing and resilience of vulnerable households across its operational communities.
