USAID-FinGAP awards women-led agribusinesses

By Lucy Mensah
The USAID –Financing Agriculture Project (USAID-FinGAP), aimed at addressing the key constraint of lack of access to finance in the agriculture sector, has awarded some deserving women in agribusiness development and institutions for their immense contributions to the growth of the agriculture sector in the country.
The USAID-FinGAP said the activities of these individuals and institutions had helped the agric sector to see a new light ,particularly those in the rural areas.
The award winners included the Shinkaafa Buni Rice Farmers Association, Agricare Ghana Limited, Vester Oil Mills, Builsa Community Bank (Bucobank), Ms Margaret Awenyogu of Adabi Women’s Group and JCS Investments Ltd.
The rest are Success for People Microfinance Limited, Tumu Cooperative Credit Union, Victoria Norgbey, President of the Ghana Women in Poultry Value Chain and Mabel Ann Akoto-Kwudzo, CEO of Okata Farms and Food Processing ltd.
The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Ms Otiko Afisa Djaba, said the agriculture sector was one of the key sectors that drove the economy of the country.
She said the sector contributed revenue to socio-economic development, provided employment for the citizens’ produced food to feed the nation and raw materials for industrial use and export.
“It is very important to always remember those who work in this sector and honour them. I wish to congratulate and urge all of you to work hard so that the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative of the government can contribute to the existing agric sector,” she said.

It is very important to always remember those who work in this sector and honour them. I wish to congratulate and urge all of you to work hard so that the Planting for Food and Jobs initiative of the government can contribute to the existing agric sector.

Background
USAID-FinGAP supports USAID / Ghana’s activities in the United States government’s Feed the Future strategy, which aims to establish commercially driven agricultural development services critical to sustainably reduce food insecurity and poverty.
Although Ghanaian farmers can produce to meet the country’s need, they need proper investment support in improved seed and fertiliser, mechanisation services and irrigation systems to do so.
Therefore, USAID-FinGAP facilitates financing in the maize, rice and soy value chains from financial institutions to agribusinesses through its business advisory service providers, who package applications, business plans and records of  agribusinesses and present them to the financial institutions.