The Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security at the African Union Commission, Mrs Bineta Diop, has said it is important to strengthen the participation of youth and women in Africa engaged in entrepreneurship with a focus on agriculture (agripreneurship).

She said that youth engagement was a challenge in the agriculture sector in Africa because they did not see it as attractive, although women represent 70 per cent of agric and the entire value chain.

Speaking at a virtual Women in Agribusiness Forum (WAF), she noted that food security was a priority for Africa to achieve Agenda 2063, Africa’s blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse through inclusive and sustainable development.

“We must eliminate the fear from want and food is an essential part of this. The three Fs (food, fuel and finance), high food and fuel prices that faced the world about 15 years ago pushed back to poverty close to 132 million people globally.”

“This made Africa realise the need to reinvest in agriculture for sustainable solution,” she said.

Read: Use land banks to lure youth into agric – Forum participants

The WAF

The WAF is an initiative by Guzakuza, a platform to connect, inspire and celebrate women in agribusiness on the African continent.

This year’s theme: “Women Transforming Food Systems: What is the Data Saying?”, sought to help the world understand in simplistic terms, the miles covered by women in the agribusiness space and the change they are driving in their respective spaces.

Mrs DIOP said the WAF was not just for Ghana but for the Africa continent and the world as it promoted women leadership in agribusiness, particularly in a period when the world continued to grapple with COVID-19 that had caused so much disruptions.

She deduced that COVID-19 had immensely affected women and girls – curtailing their productivity, threatening the African agric sector, affecting food security and creating violence against women everywhere.

“Women leadership in the entire agriculture value chain matter and we need to recognise them,” she said.

A representative of Guzakuza, Ms Aishat Adesina, explained that in its quest to ensure that more resilient women-led small and medium agribusinesses thrived, Guzakuza was working on ensuring that the needs and aspirations of these women-led businesses were incorporated into the first ever United Nations Food System Summit.

The forum created a platform for profitable deliberations and reemphasised the critical role women play in transforming food systems.

A key feature of the forum was the recognition of women in agric who have challenged the status quo to make African Agribusiness successful and excellent   

The Dare to Defy award went to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Rockland Farms and Eco Feeding, Ghana, Edith Wheatland Akosah, Sustainable Green Innovation - CEO, Achiepee Farms, Ghana, Ms Priscilla Nkrumah and Role Model Excellence award- Executive Director, Agri - Impact Consult, Ghana, Ms Juliana Asante- Dartey.

The rest are Agtech Innovation Category- Co- founder Farmula Kenya, Ms Vivian Opondoh, and COVID 19 Resilience Category - Patience Koku, CEO, Replenish Farms, Nigeria.

The 2021 Women in Agribusiness Forum promises to raise awareness and elevate the discussions