By Chioma Iruke
A Nigerian woman, Hajia Salamatu Garba, has emerged the winner of Value4Her Women Agriprenuer of the Year 2021 (WAYA 2021) at the Africa Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) held in Kenya.
Garba who is the Founder and Executive Director of Women Farmers Advancement Network, on Saturday in Abuja, noted that over 2,500 farmers competed from 21 African countries for the laurel.
She informed that the award recognised WOFAN’s innovations in the field of mobilising over 4,500 functional and mobilised key smallholder farmers’ groups.
She stated that WOFAN had also created 5,000 fully registered women and youths in agribusiness, adding that 80 percent of them were women who were into various agribusinesses along various crop value sectors.
The 2021 AGRF was a hybrid summit with the theme “Pathways to Recovery and Resilient Food Systems”. It was hosted in partnership with the Government of Kenya on between September 7 and 10.
The summit convened close to 7,000 participants virtually, including African Presidents, Agriculture Ministers, Agricultural Stakeholders, and Multilateral Experts.
This, according to her, was to discuss ways the continent could transform food systems and accelerate progress to eradicating hunger and poverty.
Garba, however, promised to continue to be an advocate of re-thinking agriculture and food systems in Africa.
According to her, the leaders need to creatively invest in simple equipment and technologies with amplified application, use and development of ICT related farm technology.
She added that inclusiveness in the financial section and access to finance and trade opportunities across the region need to be magnified for visibility and action.
