Alberta speaks on best practices in mobilizing youth-led actions at World Food Forum

Agrihouse Foundation’s Founder, Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, have been invited by the FAO’s World Food Forum office in Rome, to speak on “Best Practices in mobilizing youth-led actions at the local level to achieve more sustainable agrifood systems at the World Food Forum Flagship event in Rome from October 14-18, 2024.

Alberta, who is expected to mount the Local Action main stage at this leading global event, will be representing the African Region to highlight the key practices and impact of Agri-interventional modules in Ghana and the African Region that can contribute effectively to achieving sustainable agrifood systems.

“This is a great opportunity. A collective global action is what we need to sustain the future of food and I am excited that the World Food Forum recognizes the importance in leveraging the enthusiasm and innovative capacities of the youth to enhance food security, promote sustainable practices, and influence agricultural policies.

I am empowered by this statement always; “FUTURE OF FOOD is NOW. It is the actions that we take today, that will influence our food systems”.

The World Food Forum platform remains one of the world’s most transformative and influential platforms.

I am truly grateful to be given the opportunity, to share modules that can contribute to shaping the conversations on food actions, food approaches, food innovations, food modules, food systems, food practices, youth-led food actions, and local food actions, that can proactively demonstrate and contribute to sustainability.

I am looking forward to equally learning immensely from the world experts, impassioned change makers and visionary leaders of all ages including youth, who will be gathered in Rome, and bring it back home, to further strengthen our works and vision we have for the future of food.

The World food Forum flagship event is a premier global agrifood platform that lleverages on the power of intergenerational collaboration, as well as partnerships and action across policy, science, innovation, education, culture and investment.

The World Food Forum is also committed to supporting and growing youth initiatives in the agrifood sector, with a collective mission to co-create actionable solutions to advance agrifood systems transformation, across the globe.

Organized around three pillars – Global Youth Action, Science and Innovation and Hand-in-Hand Investment, the 5-day World Food Forum flagship event is driving behind the thematic focus -“Good Food for All, for Today and Tomorrow”.

This light but deep-rooted theme put us all on the spotlight to further assess, how our actions are contributing to the future of food and the vision we have for the sustenance of the agrifood sector.

Throughout the week, the over 7000 attendees; world experts, impassioned change makers and visionary leaders of all ages including youth,  will participate in a Youth Forum where a Youth Assembly involving young people discussing specific policy topics and issues within agrifood systems will take center stage.

The Youth Forum will also feature live pitching sessions, workshops and exhibitions that will highlight groundbreaking agricultural startups and youth-led initiatives, all aimed at driving innovation in the sector. It will also include a Global School Assembly inspiring the next generation of agrifood enthusiasts, advocates and practiotioners.

Over 50 WFF National Youth Chapter leaders will also be present best practices in building all-inclusive national youth-led agrifood platforms that would be able to address localized challenges, within the agrifood systems.

Some other key events in the Forum include the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum, a platform for national authorities to present investment opportunities to investors, development banks, the private sector and donors. The Forum will also involve the Rome Water Dialogue, where experts will address the pressing issue of water scarcity in agriculture and feature a dedicated session on Family Farming.

Within the week is also the slated celebrations of World Food Day. This global event will underscore the commitment to ending hunger and building resilient food systems that can withstand the challenges of tomorrow.

About Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa

Alberta is an Agric Advocate, intervener, initiator and implementer; a passionate promoter of the agricultural industry and a tiller of the earth herself.

She is the Founder of Agrihouse Foundation and Agrihouse Communications.

She is also the National Lead for the Ghana Chapter of the World Food Forum and the co-founder of the Ghana-Nebraska Agribusiness Growth and Trade Relations Chamber.

Alberta’s most cherished desire is to see all farmers and value chain actors deriving satisfaction and fulfilment from their work, hence her passion and commitment to contributing to the growth and consistent development of the agriculture sector in Ghana and, generally, all over Africa.

Passionate and committed to making a sustainable and measurable impact within the agric sector, Alberta has initiated highly impactful interventions that her foundation, Agrihouse spearheads.

Over the years, she has led her organization to make significant contributions to the development of the agricultural sector in Ghana and across Africa, through major advocacies, youth driven initiatives, competence-based training programs, leadership development, trade and market linkages interventions.

Alberta is not only passionate, but also creative, reliable, committed and offers tested and practical solutions to challenges.

In her bid to create awareness and promote the agric sector’s opportunities to attract the youth and drive investment, Alberta has been writing consistently as an Agricultural Columnist in the Business and Financial Times newspaper.

Alberta was in 2017, invited by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in Ghana, on the National Planning Committee, for the organization of the Annual National Farmers Day, a major Farmers celebration of the National Calender, which she serves till date.

Alberta is highly credited with leading, packaging and scaling up the Exhibitions’ component of the National Farmers’ Day celebrations.

Her works and interventions are continuously making significant contributions to the development of the agricultural sector, ensuring that growth in all facets of the agriculture sector are in tandem; receiving equal attention and resources, as they all deserve.

She is currently developing a 10-acre Innovative Training and Demonstration Farmland in Bamvim, into a modern and standard Agri-village, which aims at providing shelter and conducive environment, for the preservation of quality and quantity of plants and crops, increase the productivity of animals and farmers, and ensure safety and good working condition of machineries and equipment.

The Project, when completed will be the 1^st of its kind in the country, with different types of farms, including seed and Livestock Farms, Laboratories, Training and Conference halls.

It will also have a Research Unit, Exhibition stores for agric companies, Exhibition Grounds, Training, Recreational and educational centre, Storage space, Production room, Training and Demonstration Fields, Processing rooms, mechanized centres, library, nursery units and facilities to host agricultural events.  The complex will also serve as an academy for training Ghana’s sustainable farmers, and for growing the agri-tourism industry.

As a cattle farmer herself, Alberta is indeed happy to be at the forefront of changing the narrative, by making positive contributions and efforts, which ultimately helps to create the needed awareness, sustain thousands of jobs across the agricultural value chain; providing effective training and growth in the agricultural sector in Ghana.

Alberta is committed to making farming lucrative and making farmers happy. Hence, she ensures that her initiatives and every project shde embarks on have a positive influence socio-economically; whilst having a human and environmental impact on the overall agricultural agenda.

Agrihouse Foundation’s drive and commitment is to contribute to mind-set change and create a more desirable sector that is open to learning, creating, innovating, leading, sharing, impacting to grow, to invest and to expand, through an all-inclusive approach where creativity and innovation take the centre stage.

She has an amazing team of about 86% women and 4% men who support her in the daily operations of the foundation.

Alberta is indeed, excited about her work, she has a clear vision for the future of food. She believes it is my Calling and my Purpose here.

She is motivated by my “New age of Leadership” slogan: No age, No Degree, No Race, No Excuse, Only the Courage to be the change and act with care and Compassion.

Projects and interventions:

Alberta is the initiator of what has now grown to become key Agricultural projects and interventions that are transforming livelihoods, changing perceptions and influencing advancement and growth across the value chain sectors.

Her innovative approaches to reaching the grassroots and to reach out to all, has led her to design interventions, that target the youth, women, smallholder farmers, commercial farmers, buyers, crop protection and nutrition focused  actors and Farmers with disabilities , among other actors.

Alberta is the initiator of:

• The annual Agricultural students’ Career Guidance and Mentorship Dialogue Bootcamp(AG-STUD AFRICA)
• The Gathering of the Royals
• The Livestock, Poultry and Fisheries Training & Tradeshow (LiPF),
• The Women in Food and Agricultural Leadership Training Forum (WOFAGRIC)
• The Gold in the Soil Awards
• The monthly Agri-woman Market Place.
• The monthly Agribusiness Beginner Executive Masterclass
• The Ghana Chicken Festival, now the Ghana Poultry Day
• The 1household, 1Garden initiative
• The AgriWatch News Portal.
• The Preharvest Agribusiness Exhibitions and Conference Event, which was handed over to her organization by the USAID ADVANCE project, as part of their exit strategy.
• The Monthly Agricultural Capacity Building Roadshow (which she co-initiated with Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings), to provide free training, with snail, rabbit and mushroom starter packs)
• The 1 household, 1 garden project (1h,1g)

Empirical impacts/support of the projects:

All of Alberta’s project are highly recognized impactful and highly recognized to contributing to providing solutions in food security, nutrition enhancement, linking markets, adding value, building capacity, establishing and strengthening relationships.

Her projects is continuously assisting beneficiaries in adopting best practices, supporting to increase incomes, attracting more youth to venture into agriculture, motivated a paradigm shift in projecting women achievers in agribusiness and ultimately, expanding and scaling up the agricultural sector  and motivated a

RECOGNITION IN SUSTAINABILITY

Alberta is recognized as one of the few female private-sector leaders in Ghana who have successfully managed and sustained a US-funded project after the project’s formal closure.

In 2017, the USAID ADVANCE Project handed over the Pre-harvest Agribusiness Exhibitions and Conference to her, as part of the exit strategy.

Some Recent Recognitions, and Awards

• Alberta is the recipient of the 2024 Agrifood Future Prize at the second AgriFood Future held in Selormo, Italy
• An honorary Ambassadorial title in the State of Para, Brazil as South America’s Women in Agriculture Ambassador for the Rally Do Mulheres; the first such African ambassador

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