The Ashanti Regional Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), Reverend Dr. John Manu, has urged women in agribusiness to take advantage of the prospects of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“Capitalize on the opportunities of the free trade agreement.
It aims to promote intra trade among African countries and boost our production,” he told the female farmers.
Agribusiness Week
Rev. Manu was delivering a keynote address at the launch of the Women in Agribusiness Week (WAW), held at the Prempeh Assembly Hall in Kumasi on Monday.
WAW is a week-long series of impactful activities which aims at strengthening collaborations among females in agribusiness and stakeholders.
It is being held on the theme: “Sustaining African Agribusiness – Leveraging on Digitalisation, AfCFTA and Climate Resilience for Food Security”.
He said AfCFTA transcended borders, shared knowledge and created a regional ecosystem where the fruits of one nation benefitted the entire continent and urged them to embrace and deploy technology into their activities.
The farmers in the event
“Let us remember that the future of agribusiness lies not just in the soil beneath our feet but in the ideas, collaborations and innovations that sprout from this very room”.
Baby food production
He seized the opportunity to advise farmers to venture into the manufacture of local baby food, which he disclosed was projected to exceed €1.1 billion by 2026.
“The prospect of food preparations represents a significant investment opportunity in Africa’s infant food value chain, where imports are 10 times higher than exports,” he reiterated.
Also, present was the Principal of the Kwadaso Agric College, Albert Appiah Amoakoh, who also shared with the farmers how to secure the food demand in Africa, which he said was expected to grow by 60 per cent in 2030.
For her part, Nana Adjoa Sifa, the initiator of Guzakuza, organizers of the event, urged farmers to adapt to climate change, where they could introduce innovative ways in their farming activities in order to continue to stay relevant in today’s agri-business industry.
Source: graphic.com.gh