The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through the Feed the Future (FTF) Ghana Policy LINK Activity, is set to provide year-long assistance to Charity Akortia and Edith Akosah Wheatland, who were honoured as the 2023 National Best Farmer and National Best Female Farmer, respectively.

This initiative extends support to 18 other female award winners at national, regional, and district levels.

Building on the success of the first cohort in 2022, this programme aims to empower outstanding women in agriculture with leadership, advocacy, and agribusiness development training, along with a study tour. 

The training aligns with this year's theme, ‘Delivering Smart Solutions for Sustainable Food Security and Resilience,’ tailored to the specific capacity needs of the awardees.

The first cohort experienced a 5-day leadership, advocacy, and agribusiness training, facilitated by USAID/Ghana through the FTF Ghana Policy LINK Activity, in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), FTF Ghana Mobilising Finance in Agriculture Activity (MFA), and Absa Bank Ghana Limited.

Policy LINK also ensured their participation in key agriculture stakeholder engagements throughout 2023, providing mentorship and technical support. 

The women from the initial cohort demonstrated notable determination in implementing lessons learned, enhancing their agribusinesses, and actively engaging in the agriculture policy space.

Their efforts led to the formation of the Ghana Association of Female Agricultural & Fish Farming Award Winners (GAFAFAW), showcasing their commitment to advancing women's involvement in Ghana's agricultural policy processes.

The FTF Ghana Policy LINK Activity plans to continue supporting selected women awardees over the next three years, aiming to foster greater inclusion and active participation in the agriculture policy space. 

The initiative seeks to empower these women leaders to contribute significantly to the growth and food security of the agricultural sector while advocating for the involvement of various vulnerable groups, including youth and persons with disabilities.