Agriwoman marketplace held in Accra
About 60 women agriculture entrepreneurs have participated in the Agriwoman Marketplace, the 14th monthly edition organised by the Agrihouse Foundation.
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The one-day exhibition held at the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, adjacent to the Accra Mall, saw the women displaying products and services ranging from local snacks such as hausa koko powder, processed dawadawa, pineapple jam, seedlings, sesame oil, baobab oil and inputs such as fertilisers.
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Agrihouse Foundation, which works to increase agricultural productivity, Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, said her organisation came up with the initiative a couple of years ago to create a community of exhibitions for women who were into processing agricultural products and adding value to raw materials.
She said her target was women who were already into farming, processing and other agricultural productions.
“So far, we have been able to bring on board 267 exhibitors but the range of exhibitors at our exhibitions ranges from 32 to 60 vendors per month,” Ms Akosa stated.
She disclosed that the event, which was a response to the disruptions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, had grown to the peak and provided an avenue for women to promote their products.
Ms Akosa said the initiative was to create a networking platform and serve as an intervention not to bring about stress, but to foster a community for motivation and encouragement.
The Agrihouse Foundation CEO expressed the satisfaction that the initiative had been an impactful journey.
“Through these community events, a lot of the women have accessed markets to export their goods as well as business links.
Some of them have been approved by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and others are serving as mentors and speakers on platforms through this initiative,” she stated.
Ms Akyaa said the organisers were also looking forward to establishing a community network marketplace where the participants would strengthen their work values and create opportunities among communities.
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One of the exhibitors, Rejoice Yabani, who is also the CEO of Green Basket, said she was the major producer of baobab products in the country.
She said baobab was an immune booster and had been on the market for so many years.
Ms Yabani said her company extracted oil from baobab seeds, which is good for the skin, and hair, and edible, saying it could be added to beverages and porridges.
Green Basket also produces sesame with Moringa leaves as well as DawaDawa tea that relaxes a user and is specially made for people conscious of their health.
