The United States Government, through USAID/Ghana’s Implementing Partners (IPs) under the Feed the Future (FTF) initiative, has partnered with the Women in Agricultural Development Directorate (WIAD) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) to celebrate the vital role played by rural women in agriculture across northern Ghana.

This joint effort commemorates the International Day for Rural Women, observed today, Sunday, October 15, 2023. The day recognizes the significant contributions of rural women in enhancing agricultural and rural development, ensuring food security, and eradicating rural poverty.

The commemoration, marked by insightful radio discussions and policy dialogue in Wa, the Upper West Regional capital, as well as a community durbar and fair at Noru, in the Nadowli-Kaleo District in the region, was facilitated by the IPs, including Policy LINK, Mobilizing Finance in Agriculture (MFA), Market Systems Resilience (MSR), and Resilience in Northern Ghana (RING) II, in partnership with WIAD of MoFA.

The activities aimed at spotlighting inspiring stories of women overcoming challenges and contributing substantially to agriculture. Additionally, they sought to enhance the active participation of rural women in Ghana’s agricultural policy and decision-making processes and empower them with knowledge and information about available opportunities within the sector to improve their economic well-being.

The three celebratory events brought together a diverse group of over 300 rural women in agriculture, government officials, community leaders, and other key agricultural stakeholders from the FTF Zone of Influence (ZOI), spanning 17 districts across the Northern, Upper East, Upper West, and North East Regions.