Beauty queen’s agric initiative receives Okyenhene’s praise
The second runner-up of the 2016 Ghana’s Most Beautiful Pageant, Oheneba Akosua Kyerewaa, has been commended by the Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, for encouraging young women to go into agriculture.
Ms Kyerewaa after winning the third position of the pageant decided to generate the interest of young women across the country in agriculture and has been going round to propagate that message.
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The Okyenhene lauded Ms Kyerewaa when she called on him at his Kyebi Palace last Monday.
Osagyefuo Ofori Panin said her initiative was one of the best ways to encourage young women to go into agriculture, which had often been the preserve of men.
He, therefore, urged the beauty queen to continue with her good works.
Agribusiness festival
Earlier, Ms Kyerewaa briefed the Okyenhene about the organisation of the 5th Women in Agribusiness Festival to be held on June 10 at Adeiso in the Nsawam-Adoagyiri Municipality of the Eastern Region to generate young women's interest in agriculture.
She explained that a number of activities would be held at the festival, including an exhibition on women’s involvement in agriculture, health screening, cooking competition and the crowning of the Miss Agriculture Ghana Queen.
Ms Kyerewaa said her main concern was how to motivate young women who should learn from older women in agriculture since the old should be their role models.
According to her, since 2018 when she started the initiative, 200 young women had been trained to add value to agribusiness.
The women, Ms Kyerewaa indicated, were taken through advocacy on issues such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
That, she said, had become necessary because most of the women at the districts and regional level were not aware of the AfCFTA.
"We have to process agricultural products and add value to them to benefit from the AfCFTA and that will be of tremendous assistance to these young women in agribusiness.
"We have cassava, sweet potato, among others, that we can process into flour to produce our own bread and biscuits so that the Russia-Ukraine war that has adversely affected flour production should not be a problem for Ghana", Ms Kyerewaa stated.
Agriculture is lucrative
Agriculture, she noted, was very lucrative, which was why lawyers, doctors and other professionals were now going into it.
Ms Kyerewaa stated that agriculture was no longer the preserve of old people and that the youth, particularly young women, should, therefore, venture into it to generate more revenue for the upkeep of themselves, children and relatives.
