The maiden AgriBiz Youth & Women Dialogue (AYWD), an initiative of Africa Skills Hub Foundation (ASH) in partnership with the National Youth Authority, has been held in Accra.

AYWD is a platform that offers young people and women in agriculture and agribusiness an opportunity to share experiences, tackle challenges, and explore prospects. It also seeks to promote collaboration and advocate for policies that encourage the participation of the youth in the agribusiness space.

Speaking to JoyBusiness on the sidelines of the first edition, held at the British Council, Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo applauded Africa Skills hub for their efforts in promoting agribusiness.

“What the various hubs, various youth groups, including Africa Skills Hub are doing to promote entrepreneurship and agribusiness is very commendable. This is what we expect.

“We will have to create a living environment for them to thrive. This is exactly why this ministry has been set up," he said.

Mr. Opare Addo furthered that “the Ministry of Youth Development will create that platform for all these organizations to promote and support young entrepreneurs to scale up on what we are doing.”

According to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, women make up 52% of the country’s agricultural labour force, producing about 70% of food crops. Unfortunately less than 10% of available agric-related funding goes to women in agric and agribusiness.

Highlighting the need to support women-led businesses in the sector, Executive Director of Africa Skills Hub Foundation, Daniel Antwi, called for a careful effort in building the capacity of micro small businesses to enable them scale up.

“Africa Skills Hub understands the role of capacity building, capital access and community engagement in supporting and strengthening youth and women enterprises on their entrepreneurial journeys. We must be deliberate in doing this.”

In her keynote address, Madam Afua Ansre, Senior Gender Specialist at UN Women Ghana, stressed the need for effective collaboration between government agencies and relevant stakeholders to support women and youth-led businesses.

“It demands that governments, financial institutions, development partners, the private sector, civil society, and everyone here today act decisively and collaboratively. Let us not merely talk about change; let us embody it. Let us be the generation that ensures women and youth take their rightful place as leaders in agribusiness," she added.

The AgriBiz Youth & Women Dialogue assembled over 200 business owners to discuss challenges, opportunities, and advocate for policies that enhance inclusivity (youth and women) in agribusiness. AYWD also offered participants a networking session to facilitate partnerships and collaboration among stakeholders.