The Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency (SWIDA Ghana) in partnership with AfriYouth, has undertaken series of engagements to establish and strengthen women-led advocacy networks, aimed at amplifying the voices of women in agriculture and trade.
The engagements, held in Tamale, were supported by the Africa Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) under the project “Strengthening Women’s Voice and Leadership in Agricultural Policy and Economic Empowerment.”
The session targeted more than 600 women trade leaders including weavers, and women in the formal trade sector across five zones in the Tamale Metro, and Sagnarigu and Savelugu Municipalities.
The trainings brought the women together to form strong regional coalitions to serve as unified platforms for advocacy, mentorship, and peer support in their pursuit of economic rights and justice.
Speaking during the engagements, Executive Director of SWIDA Ghana, Hajia Alima Sagito-Saeed underscored the importance of building the capacities of women leaders to influence policies that directly affect their livelihoods.
She said the initiative was timely, as it empowers women to actively participate in agricultural and economic decision-making processes.
Hajia Alima expressed gratitude to the AWDF for its consistent finding support towards advancing agriculture advocacy and women’s empowerment initiatives in the northern part of the country.
The Executive Director of AfriYouth, Mr. Mohammed Gadafi Mandeya emphasized the importance of the initiative and urged the participants to take advantage of the opportunity to raise their skills, expand their networks, as well as use their collective voices t push for fair policies and access to resources.
The sessions focused on women’s rights and economic empowerment, gender-responsive agriculture and trade policies, leadership and negotiation skills, financial literacy, social media marketing, and other marketing strategies.
Other discussions looked at climate-smart agriculture, social protection for women in the formal sector, and building resilience against economic shocks.
There were special mentorship sessions, and the creation of safe spaces for peer-to-peer exchanges.
The participants commended SWIDA Ghana, AfriYouth, and their partners for the training, saying that the engagement had enabled them to among others, build stronger coalitions and gain new advocacy and leadership skills.
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