Women in Food and Agricultural Leadership Forum And Expo Begins Today

The maiden edition of the Women in Food and Agricultural Leadership Forum & Expo (WOFAGRIC) and Gold in the Soil Awards has commenced today at Ho, Volta Region.

Under the theme: 'Women! Key partners in shaping agribusiness'is expected to empower, encourage and reward the efforts of women in agribusiness.

The event's aim is to give women a voice, offer them a platform and champion the cause of the agric businesswoman.

It would also serve as a means of bridging the gender inequality gap in the agriculture sector and provide women with an array of opportunities for networking.

As part of its contribution towards the two-day event, the Canadian embassy has made a commitment to provide funding and technical support.

The First secretary-Development High Commission of Canada to Ghana, Marie Claude Harvey in a statement said "As a key partner of Ghana, we have in recent times seen the need to increase efforts towards women. This is because women represent an essential part of the society through which the rest of society can be positively impacted."

She said "focusing on gender equality in agric, for us it is an opportunity to address the root-cause of poverty. Women play a key role in agriculture but there is a big gap in terms of access when compared to their male counterparts. This we believe makes it naturally difficult for women to transition from subsistence farming to one of industrial proportion."

The statement said mentorship and training sessions by YARA Ghana, Sidalco, Interplast and ADB; sponsors of the event, would encourage and empower women who want to venture into agribusiness.

"There would also be a session where women would be trained on the processing of rice milk, tiger nut powder, groundnut and cocoa powder so that they can be self-sufficient with the skills they would acquire at the event," the statement said.

Ms Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, Executive Director of Agrihouse Foundation said "It is an obvious reality that women for instance do not receive adequate support in their quest to compete with their male counterparts despite their immense contribution to the sector."

"This event would put women in the forefront and also acknowledge their achievements and contributions to the growth of their community and the nation as a whole," she said.

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