Resource Mobilisation, Utilization and Wellbeing of Social and Solidarity Groups in the Assin Fosu Municipality, Ghana

Economic organizations that are based on neoliberal principles favour the dominant few in developing economies culminating into widespread poverty, inequalities, and decline in wellbeing. Social and solidarity groups are formed to mitigate the cost of neoliberal policies by providing a path to wellbeing at the micro l level through resource mobilization and utilization. We examined resource mobilization and the predictors of resource utilization and wellbeing of social and solidarity groups with focus on farm-based cooperatives. Using a mixed research design, a multi-stage sampling, involving purposive, proportional, and simple random sampling techniques, 180 respondents from six registered farm-based cooperatives in the Assin Fosu Municipality were selected for the study. Chairpersons of the cooperatives were constituted into a Focus Group, while the Municipal Co-operative Officer was selected as key informant. We found that resource mobilization was low among the cooperatives except for cocoa-based cooperatives. The factors that inform utilization of resources were mobilization and collective acquisition of farm inputs and equipment which lowered production costs. Longer membership years, collective resource mobilization and utilization were the major predictors of wellbeing. Based on the findings we recommended to cooperatives to intensify resource mobilization, and utilization whilst maintaining their membership as these factors promote wellbeing