The Minister for Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Eric Opoku, has appreciated women farmers for their role in the agriculture of Ghana.
He asserted that the transformation of Ghana's agriculture would not be realized without women.
To that end, he has reiterated the government's enthusiasm for empowering women with the Feed Ghana Programme under the Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda (AETA).
The ministry would help facilitate improvement of access to new technologies in agriculture and extension services, value addition and Agro-processing support, promotion of climate-smart agriculture, as well as facilitating market and financial access to empower women farmers and the agricultural sector as a whole, he stated.
Giving the keynote address at the 2nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) and induction ceremony of Ghana Association of Female Agricultural and Fish Farmers Award Winners (GAFAFAW) held in Accra recently, on the topic; "Rooted in Experience, Rising in Leadership: Rural Women at the Heart of Agricultural Transformation," the minister commended the association for its incessant drive towards empowering women's leadership in agriculture.
Let us remember that the evolution of Ghana's agriculture will not be complete without women's active and full participation. Your leadership, passion and expertise are needed to help build a sustainable, fair agricultural sector," he said.
He referred to rural women as being the "backbone of Ghana's agricultural economy," meaning they are playing several roles as farmers, processors, traders, and innovators supporting household and national food systems.
"Women farmers in the countryside are custodians of local wisdom, champions of food security, and movers of our quest for agricultural revolution. Alas, all too often, their work goes unrecognized and their future invisible," he said.
The Minister also praised GAFAFAW for its achievement since its launch in 2023, particularly its advocacy role in national policy debates as well as its mentoring of small holder farmers.