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, who came in third place in the pageant, decided to use her victory to encourage young women across the country to pursue careers in agriculture, and she has been travelling the country to spread that message.
When Ms Kyerewaa visited him at his Kyebi Palace last Monday, the Okyenhene praised her.
Osagyefuo Ofori Panin believes her project is one of the most effective methods to encourage young women to pursue careers in agriculture, which has traditionally been the domain of men.
As a result, he encouraged the beauty queen to keep up her outstanding job.
Agribusiness festival
Ms Kyerewaa had earlier updated the Okyenhene on the 5th Women in Agribusiness Festival, which will be held on June 10 at Adesso in the Nsawam-Adoagyiri Municipality of the Eastern Region in order to pique the interest of young women in agriculture.
The festival will feature a variety of activities, including an exhibition on women’s involvement in agriculture, health screenings, a cookery competition, and the crowning of the Miss Agriculture Ghana Queen, according to her.
Ms Kyerewaa stated that her main worry was how to persuade young women in agriculture to learn from elder women who should serve as role models.
She claims that 200 young women have been taught to bring value to agribusiness since she started the initiative in 2018.
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 district and regional levels were not aware of the AfCFTA.
“In order to benefit from the AfCFTA, we must process agricultural products and add value to them, which will be of immense aid to these young women in agribusiness.”
“We have cassava, sweet potato, and other root crops that we can process into flour to make our own bread and biscuits,” Ms Kyerewaa said, adding that the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has harmed flour production, should not be a problem for Ghana.
Agriculture is lucrative
Agriculture, she pointed out, was extremely profitable, which is why attorneys, doctors, and other professionals were flocking to it.
Ms Kyerewaa noted that agriculture was no longer the domain of the elderly, and that young people, particularly young women, should delve into it in order to earn more income for themselves, their children, and relatives.