Two Ghanaian Global Leadership Fellows from the Cornell Alliance for Science have paid a courtesy call on Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Dr Barfuor Adjei-Barwuah to seek his support for their work. 

Richmond Frimpong and Slyvia Tawiah Tetteh were at Ghana’s Embassy to the US in Washington DC as they brought to an end three months of training at Cornell University in New York State on Thursday.

The two are part of a group of 31 Fellows from 15 different countries who were honoured to have been selected as 2019 Cornell Alliance for Science Global Leadership Fellows to undergo a 12-week training in leadership, science communication and advocacy.

The Cornell Alliance for Science (AfS) is a global communication initiative based at Cornell University that seeks to promote access to scientific innovation as a means of enhancing food security, improving environmental sustainability and raising the quality of life globally.

The fellows after their training join a global network working to help solve complex food insecurity challenges by leveraging on improved technologies that can make a difference in the work of farmers.

Ms Tetteh told the ambassador more needs to be done for women farmers in Africa who constitute the majority of food producers on the continent.

“We need to empower women involved in agricultural production and give them the necessary technologies to improve productivity,” she said.

Frimpong called for more support for farmers noting; “we have been doing our part using the media but more stakeholders would have to come on board including government and private sector to transform the lives of farmers.”

Ambassador Adjei – Barwuah challenged the fellows to work towards changing the mindsets of young people about agriculture back home in Ghana so more young people can get involved.

He said increasing advocacy and re-orientation of the youth’s thinking on agriculture is important if the country can be made food secure.

The fellows extended an invitation to the ambassador to participate in their graduation ceremony in Washington DC on Thursday themed, “Science Stories Agriculture” which will have presidential staffer and retired veteran BBC journalist Elizabeth Ohene as the keynote speaker.