By Caesar Abagali
Wa, March 19, GNA – The European Union Ghana Agriculture Programme (EUGAP) has ensured reliable access to finance for 16,000 women through the Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs), to accelerate their progress in agricultural businesses.
The EUGAP revealed this in a press release copied to the Ghana News Agency, in solidarity with an International Women’s Day event at Dapuoha, a suburb of Wa Municipality, saying, it placed high importance on assisting women in agriculture to thrive.
It said the inclusion and support would help minimise the barriers that hindered women-led agribusinesses and women’s participation in decision-making processes in the agricultural sector for national development.
EUGAP, tapping into the theme of the annual celebrations which is “Inspire Inclusion,” shined a spotlight on the importance of investing in women in agriculture, noting that celebrating their achievements, would minimise the challenges that retard their progress.
The release said for that reason, the EUGAP presented citations to honour eight women groups for their sterling contributions to agriculture in the region and the country.
Again, the theme for the Wa celebration which was: “The inclusion of Women in Agriculture: The need to increase their access to investment,” reflected EUGAP’s commitment to invest and accelerate the progress of women in agriculture, it said.
It recognised that although women had long been the backbone of agricultural production, yet they continued to face barriers and challenges with investment and resources that hindered their full inclusion and progress.
The release said EUGAP’s commitment to investing and accelerating women’s progress in agriculture would be achieved through its various interventions including capacity building on sustainable farming, agribusiness empowerment and creating opportunities for women to access finance for their agricultural activities.
Mr Matthias Berthold, the Project Manager of Resilience Against Climate Change (REACH), had said there was the need to tailor investments in the agriculture sector towards women.
“As we celebrate International Women’s Day, let us be reminded that women’s lesser access to and control over agricultural inputs, remains a challenge and contributes to lower agricultural productivity for women.
“It is well worth empowering female farmers as a means of increasing household productivity; either prioritising women for new investments or re-allocating existing resources,” he said.
The release said a radio discussion to highlight the contributions of EUGAP in accelerating the progress of women in agriculture, and a panel discussion featuring resource persons from Sinapi Aba, Ministry of Gender, Chamber of Commerce, and the Department of Agriculture were undertaken to commemorate the day.
Panelists addressed key areas such as breaking down barriers, empowering women, ensuring equal access to resources, and women’s empowerment.
It said the event also showcased success stories of women who had benefitted from EUGAP’s interventions and made significant contributions to the agricultural sector.
GNA