The Eligreen Agriculture and Agribusiness Hub has launched ‘Women and Youth in Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Summit and Expo’ to empower women and youth in the agribusiness sector in the country.
The launch held in Accra on Tuesday was on the theme: “Breaking barriers: Securing market access for women and youth in the agribusiness sector.”
Launching the initiative, the Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Mrs Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, emphasised the importance of women and youth participation in agribusiness, highlighting their potential to drive growth in the sector.
She stated that the government was committed to supporting the industry by promoting and expanding it to get more women and youth involved.
The Minister also announced that the government would soon launch a ‘Feed the Industry Initiative’, where farmers would be contracted commercially to produce raw materials to feed the industry.
This, she said, would curb the essence importation of raw materials into the country, stating that, “we are importing about 80 per cent of our raw materials for industry.”
The founder of Eligreen Agriculture and Agribusiness Hub, Mrs Sophia Karen Ackuaku, called on the government and stakeholders to break down barriers and secure market access for women and youth in the agribusiness sector.
According to her, women and youth entrepreneurs faced unique challenges in accessing markets, resources, and opportunities, stressing that it would take collective responsibility to address these barriers.
“The Eligreen Agriculture and Agribusiness Hub aims to provide a platform for women and youth to access markets, build their capabilities, and connect with industry stakeholders.
“The hub will offer training and capacity-building programmes, facilitate access to markets, finance, and technology, and foster networking and partnership opportunities,” she asserted.
Furthermore, Mrs Ackuaku said the launch of the Eligreen Agriculture and Agribusiness Hub was a significant step towards promoting inclusivity and prosperity in the agricultural industry.
“Together let us break barriers, secure market access and empower women and youth in agribusiness,” she said.
BY JULIUS YAO PETETSI
