The government is positioning women in agribusiness as key drivers of economic transformation, Trade Minister Elizabeth Ofosu Adjare announced at the BAWCOF Annual Festival in Techiman.
Speaking at the Brong Ahafo Women Co-operative Cocoa Farming and Marketing Central Union (BAWCOF) Annual Festival in Techiman, Ofosu Adjare commended the Union for advancing women’s empowerment and promoting sustainable cocoa production under the theme Nourishing Women, Cultivating Lives.
Since its establishment in 2021, BAWCOF has supported more than 7,000 rural women cocoa farmers across nine cocoa districts, strengthening their role in cooperative marketing, leadership, and sustainable farming. Ofosu Adjare said this achievement aligns with government’s broader objective of building resilient agribusiness value chains that generate jobs and increase productivity.
She explained that restructuring the Trade Ministry to include Agribusiness and Industry was a strategic move to create stronger linkages between production and processing sectors, positioning women as central players in Ghana’s industrial growth.
“This is a symbol of the power of Ghanaian women to create value from the soil to the table,” Ofosu Adjare said.
The Minister outlined several flagship initiatives, including the Feed the Industry Programme, which aims to raise factory capacity utilization from 30 to 80 percent by directly connecting smallholder farmers, especially women, to agro processors through structured contracts.
Government interventions also include tax incentives for agro processing machinery, support for local equipment manufacturing through the GRATIS Foundation and the Rural Enterprise Programme, and value chain financing under the Ghana Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (GIRSAL). Ofosu Adjare added that ongoing investments in cold chain infrastructure could generate nearly 900 million dollars annually from the fruits and vegetables sector.
She revealed that her Ministry is finalizing a National Agribusiness Policy to integrate value chains, promote inclusiveness, and ensure that women farmers and agripreneurs have a strong voice in national policy design.
During her visit, Ofosu Adjare toured an agribusiness exhibition and praised the creativity of women entrepreneurs. She also presented trophies to winners of a cooking competition.
Eric Opoku, Minister for Food and Agriculture, also lauded women’s contribution to Ghana’s agriculture, noting that they account for 52 percent of the agricultural labour force, 70 percent of food production, and 90 percent of the processing and marketing workforce.
He donated 40,000 cedis to support BAWCOF’s operations and emphasized the importance of value addition in maximizing returns for farmers. Opoku said the integration of agribusiness into the Trade Ministry was a critical step toward ensuring that Ghanaian farmers benefit more fully from their produce.
The festival drew hundreds of women farmers, cooperatives, traditional leaders, and stakeholders from across the cocoa value chain to celebrate progress and explore new opportunities for inclusive and sustainable growth in the sector.