Plan International Ghana in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 2.4 has given 8 female-led agribusinesses in the Upper West Region GHC30, 0000 each to scale up their business and to bridge the gap between the males and females in the agribusiness sector.
The support, which was on the “Building Female-Led Agribusiness Project (FLAP)”, also included mentorship, capacity building in bookkeeping and business management, product branding and marketing among others.
About 40 female-led agribusinesses in the areas of beekeeping, crops and animal rearing, shea butter and vegetable processing among others pitched for the support and were subjected to rigorous screening processes out of which eight were shortlisted to receive the support.
The initiative is being implemented by the Plan International Ghana Alumni Network in partnership with Plan International Ghana and funding support from the Australian High Commission under the Direct Aid Programme.
Speaking at the launch of the project, Madam Josephine Fiawornu, the Sponsorship Manager at Plan International Ghana, noted that the initiative became necessary due to the growing need for support to female-led agribusinesses to overcome the myriad of challenges to thrive.
“Over the years, we’ve realised that various opportunities come in this sector and it is silent on promoting or supporting women.
As young people, they are vibrant, they are aggressive, they are assertive, the only thing they need is a little push, both technically and financially,” she explained.
Madam Fiawornu said the initiative was developed from the outcome of consultations carried out by the Alumni Network in the Upper West and the Central Regions to ascertain the challenges that militate against females’ participation in agribusiness and how they could be supported to be active players in the sector.
She indicated that the project was developed as a response mechanism to the challenges identified through the consultations.
Mr Kamaldeen Iddrisu, Programmes Coordinator for Plan International Ghana, Wa Office, noted that the one-year project was in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 2.4, which sought to achieve sustainable agriculture, which would also help achieve zero hunger by 2030.
“Women in Agriculture often lack infrastructure, reliable energy supply, technology, access to rural finance, secure rights to land and other resources.
They also lack information and training, and access to markets, be it local, national or international markets,” he explained.