Accra: The Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency (SWIDA-Ghana) has organized a Regional Stakeholders' meeting in Tamale to enhance women's participation and leadership in agricultural policy and economic decision-making.
According to Ghana News Agency, the meeting is part of an ongoing initiative titled 'Strengthening Women's Voice and Leadership in Agricultural Policy and Economic Justice in Northern Ghana,' supported by the African Women's Development Fund. The event gathered approximately 50 participants from Tolon, Sagnarigu, Tamale, Mion, and Savelugu Districts, including representatives from women farmer groups, agricultural departments, traditional authorities, and civil society organizations.
The engagement served as a platform for discussions on agricultural policy implementation and strategies to ensure equitable benefits for women farmers from government and private sector interventions. Regional agricultural officers provided briefings on policy frameworks such as the Feed Ghana initiative, the fertilizer subsidy programme, and the government's digitalization agenda in agricultural extension services.
The officers emphasized the importance of climate-smart agricultural practices, improved post-harvest handling, and robust value chain systems to enhance productivity and market access for smallholder women farmers. During the discussions, women leaders pointed out ongoing challenges like restricted access to land, insufficient credit facilities, lack of mechanisation support, and low representation in local agricultural planning processes.
They advocated for greater inclusion of women in district agricultural committees, fair distribution of inputs, and increased investment in women-led agribusinesses. Madam Fati Alhassan, a women's leader from the Savelugu Municipality, praised SWIDA-Ghana for amplifying rural women's voices, stating, 'This meeting has given us the confidence to speak directly to officers and share our real challenges. We now understand that policy advocacy is also our responsibility.'
Hajia Alima Sagito-Saeed, the Executive Director of SWIDA-Ghana, highlighted that empowering women in agriculture is an economic necessity for food security and inclusive local development. She reaffirmed SWIDA-Ghana's commitment to supporting women's advocacy for fair and gender-responsive agricultural policies and expressed gratitude to the African Women's Development Fund for its ongoing support in empowering women with skills and knowledge to demand accountability and influence better agricultural outcomes.
