As the world marks International Women’s Day on the theme “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress”, Deutsche Gesellschaft Fur International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) has organized an event to celebrate women farmers in the Upper West Region.
The event took place at Dapuoha in the Wa Municipal and was attended by representatives from the Regional Coordinating Council, the Department of Gender, the Department of Agriculture, Wa Municipal, Sinapi Aba Saving and Loans and some selected women farming groups across the region.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Matthias Berthold of the Programme Coordinating Unit of EUGAP praised the women for their resilience and contribution to the agriculture sector.
He said “aside so many other aspects I would like to point out the important role women play in agriculture, a sector that sustains Ghana like no other. According to a report on Ghana by the Food and Agriculture Organization, about 52% of the labour force is engaged in agriculture and 39% of farm labour force is women”.
According to him, women are still faced with the challenges of “accessing and controlling vital agricultural resources like land”. This he said hampers their productivity to the household and community at large.
He therefore urged the public most especially the men to encourage and invest in women as the theme for the celebration resonated.
“I would like to end with the call to let us commit to ourselves to the cause of investing in women, bridging the gender gap, encouraging men to support women in every way possible, and break down the barriers that hinders the full participating in women,” he added.
The Municipal Agricultural Development Officer, Bernadette Naab, emphasized the need to involve women in the decision-making process. She said, investing in women is not only about gender equality but will harness the full potential of the agricultural sector leading to a prosperous world.
The representative from the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), Rita Abisiwene Nyorka asserted that, the government will continue to invest in women in all aspects and therefore commended GIZ for their continued support of women in agriculture.
“The government in collaboration with it development partners continue to intentionally invest in women through our intervention and livelihood improvement in our social intervention programs”.
Madam Nimbebiir Emilia who is a beneficiary of the EUGAP and REACH projects has called on women to go into farming because of its benefits and went further to urge the government to make available the resources that will help them to farm.
Among the celebration was the presentation of citations to the various women farming groups and individuals who are making a great impact when it comes to agriculture. It was full of excitement as the women made merry and danced to good music.