West African countries committed to boosting women’s empowerment in agrifood systems

Women are at the beating heart of agrifood systems in sub-Saharan Africa. They lead through innovation, entrepreneurship and resilience, but still face a much steeper slope compared to men in accessing and controlling basic resources which are crucial for their wellbeing and development. In addition, gender inequalities are a major barrier to overcoming hunger and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, where over 307 million people experienced hunger in 2024.[1] Collective commitment and political will are needed to tackle gender inequalities in the region, and policy tools such as the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) Voluntary Guidelines on Gender Equality and Women’s and Girls’ Empowerment (VG-GEWGE) can lead the way.

To discuss the practical implementation of these guidelines, participants from Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone gathered in Accra, Ghana, for a workshop led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Leading by example

For two days, decision-makers and senior technical officers from key line ministries, civil society, and farmers’ organizations shared the same space to identify entry points for the policy recommendations brought forth by over 130 CFS members who endorsed the VG-GEWGE. These range from strategies to ensure women’s and girls’ nutrition and food security needs are met to the recognition, reduction and redistribution of unpaid care and domestic work.

“The simple truth is this: there is no pathway to efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems without gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls,” highlighted Abebe Haile-Gabriel, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa. “Empowering women is therefore not merely a social objective – it is also a powerful economic strategy and a prerequisite for Africa’s agrifood systems transformation agenda.”

Mr. Haile-Gabriel’s remarks were followed by deep-dive sessions where participants familiarized themselves with the content of the guidelines, their core principles and how they can be adapted to each country’s reality and national priorities. 

Participants agreed to begin by raising awareness in their respective countries. Government institutions committed to identifying entry points for the revision of agricultural and gender policies based on the guidelines’ recommendations, while civil society organizations suggested using community radio for outreach. The private sector also proposed reviewing programmes to ensure compliance with the guidelines.

Participants left the workshop with a renewed sense of commitment to integrate these recommendations into their national strategies and everyday implementation work. “I saw my grandmother working the land she never owned”, shared one participant, “and I want to change that”.

Moving forward with intention

This workshop was the first of a series of regional initiatives led by the Programme for the Dissemination and Uptake of the VG-GEWGE, led by FAO with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Global Affairs Canada, and the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. The programme is part of FAO’s commitment to launching the dissemination of the VG-GEWGE in at least 10 countries by 2026, as announced by the FAO Director-General, Qu Dong-Yu, on the sidelines of the 2024 United Nations General Assembly through the Commit to Grow Equality initiative.

Moving forward, FAO will continue to partner with actors at the regional and local levels who are committed to gender equality as a pathway to food security worldwide. The rationale is simple and direct: when women thrive, communities thrive, and when gender equality becomes the norm, hunger and poverty decline.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): Regional Office for Africa.