The Chairman of the Parliamentary Choose Committee on Meals, Agriculture, and Cocoa Affairs, Dr Godfrey Jasaw, has referred to as for stronger assist for African ladies in agriculture and entrepreneurship to deal with structural and institutional challenges hampering their development.
He confused that since ladies on continent kind 63 per cent of actors within the agricultural worth chain, addressing these boundaries is essential to reworking the sector and making certain meals safety.
Dr Jasaw made the decision final Friday at an occasion organised by AGRA in Accra to commemorate this 12 months’s Worldwide Ladies’s Day.
The occasion was held underneath the theme: ‘Empowering Ladies, Reworking Commerce: Unlocking Africa’s Financial Potential.’
He recommended AGRA, the Meals and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), safety businesses, railway establishments, and particularly ladies in agriculture for his or her contributions to the sector.
He assured stakeholders that Parliament was able to collaboprice on initiatives that will facilitate meals system transformation within the nation.
Deputy Minister for Works and Housing, Hannah Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui, lauded the resilience of Ghanaian ladies, stressing that they need to be valued no matter their career.
She stated, “Each exercise that promotes the empowerment of girls shouldn’t be underestimated however prioritised.”
Equally, Minister of State for Public Sector Reforms and MP for Tempane, Lydia Timpani, underscored the necessity for women to obtain honest worth for his or her produce.
AGRA President, Alice Rhuweza, talking just about in the course of the programme, said that whereas ladies make up 63 per cent of farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and considerably contribute to meals safety, they’re typically excluded from main decision-making processes.
The Assistant Director-General and Regional Consultant FAO, Mr Abebe Haile-Gabriel, famous that girls maintain economies throughout Africa but face systemic boundaries similar to restricted entry to finance, restrictive policies, trade-related gender biases, and infrastructure deficits.
Mr Haile-Gabriel urged governments and stakeholders to take concrete actions, together with professionalviding tailor-made monetary merchandise, mentorship programmes, and leveraging know-how to assist ladies in commerce.
He cited FAO’s 2023 report, The Standing of Ladies in Agrimeals Programs, which revealed that closing the gender hole in agriculture may improve world GDP by one per cent and cut back meals insecurity for 45 million folks.
BY RAISSA SAMBOU