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Deputy Agric Minister calls for empowerment of disabled women in agriculture
The Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, Mr Yaw Frimpong Addo has called for the empowerment of more women, especially the disabled to thrive in agriculture by providing them with the needed support.
According to him, women played significant roles in agriculture, and stated that the country was currently enjoying food security due to the contribution of women in the sector.
“Women make up more than half of Ghana’s agricultural labour force with many engaged in ploughing, planting seeds, harvesting, processing foods, selling and cooking. If not for our women, we will be very hungry in this country and so it is important to give them the maximum support to enable them thrive and I believe will have significant impact on the nationl,” he stated.
Mr Addo was speaking at the 5th Women in Food and Agricultural Leader Training Forum and the Gold in the Soil Awards organised in Koforidua by Agrihouse Foundation in collaboration with World Food Programme, Global Affairs Canada and Yara Ghana.
The forum and awards, on the theme: “Overcoming Barriers of Women in Agribusiness: The Role of Stakeholders” awarded 13 women in different categories, who have made significant strides in farming and its related value chain.
The winners received equipment and machines to enable them improve their work for their benefit and for society.
Madam Margaret Agyei received the Ultimate Gold in the Soil Award and was given a tricycle, farming equipment and agriproducts.
The others winners included Naana Felicia Akyeamah who won the Passion for Farm Award, Change Champion Award, Mrs Dzidzinyo Fianu, Princess Carla Award, Enerstina Osei Tutu, Outstanding Woman in Extension Services Award, Delali Esi Agyeman, Feed to Food Award, Lydia Gyebi Asare and Development Partners Award, Global Affairs Canada and World Food Programme.
The others were She-Operates Award, Hajara Mohammed, She-innovates Award, Abigail Ghama, Climate Smart Award, Doris Opoku Hagan, Diamond in the Rough Award, Adwoa Agyeiwaa, Star Woman Agripreneur Award, Faustina Mamle Nartey, and Royal Agro Award, Nana Obaapanin Konadu Kontie II
Mr Addo noted that as part of ways to support women in the agricultural sector, the government has reviewed the Planting for Food (PFJ)initiative to include women who would receive financial and logistical support.
“The women and youth would be asked to register with an Aggregator and after that all farm inputs would be given till harvesting,” he revealed, adding the new programme under the PFJ would be launched soon.
He congratulated the winners and called on them to mentor and encourage the youth into the sector to ensure continuous development of the sector for the benefit of the whole country.
The Director and Head of Cooperation at Global Affairs Canada, Kathlyn Flunn-Dapaah stated that Agriculture continued to be the backbone of Ghana’s economy, where many women were employed but faced several challenges including inadequate access to financing and agricultural inputs to increase their yields and incomes.
She said empowering women in agriculture could improve the sector significantly and called on government to ensure their policies including PFJ favour women to excel in agriculture and agribusinesses.
For her part, the Executive Director of Agrihouse Foundation, Alberta Nana Akyea thanked the sponsors for their support over the years and stated that Agrihouse would continue to make significant impact on improving the lives of women farmers and people with disabilities in the agricultural value chain.
She said the winners would be engaged to help in mentoring others especially the youth to encourage more women into agriculture and revealed that the next awards edition would occur at the Bono East region.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
The Dzidula Pink Foundation, a new organisation dedicated to cancer awareness, early detection, and patient support, has been officially launched in Accra, with a passionate call for national commitment to fighting the disease. The launch event, held last week Friday, carried the theme: “Beyond the diagnosis: A future of restoration, care and courage.”
Speaking at the event, Madam Abena Brigidi, founder and CEO of Nimed Capital Limited, emphasised that cancer remains one of the most devastating health challenges facing families across the country. “Cancer does not discriminate—it affects mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons. It drains families emotionally and financially, and behind every statistic is a human story and a future suddenly thrown into uncertainty,” she said.
Sharing her personal encounters with cancer, having lost both her husband and father to the disease, Madam Brigidi highlighted the emotional, financial, and physical scars left behind. “I stand here not just as a speaker, but as a witness to what cancer can take away,” she stated. “I have watched loved ones fight bravely, and I have felt the deep pain that loss leaves behind.”
She stressed that awareness and early detection are critical to reducing deaths, noting that many Ghanaians still lack access to proper screening, reliable information, and adequate treatment. She appealed to healthcare professionals, corporate institutions, policymakers, the media, and the general public to join hands in the fight. “Early detection saves lives. Your support today can lead to someone’s healing tomorrow,” she said.
Madam Brigidi further called for collective responsibility to sustain the foundation’s mission. “To our medical professionals, we need your expertise. To corporate partners, your resources. To the media, your voice. To policymakers, your support. And to the public, your compassion,” she urged. She also insisted that breast cancer awareness should not be limited to annual campaigns, saying, “Breast cancer awareness must not be seasonal.”
Mrs Diana Fafa Gozo, founder of the Dzidula Pink Foundation, shared her own cancer journey, describing the shock of diagnosis, the fear that followed, and the difficult path through treatment. Her experience transformed her pain into purpose and inspired her to create a foundation to ensure no cancer patient walks alone.
Mrs Gozo explained that many patients struggle not only with treatment costs but also with emotional resilience. She outlined the foundation’s initiatives, which include awareness and early detection campaigns, patient support funds, community outreach, and survival support circles. “This foundation is my offering of gratitude, courage, and compassion and a reminder that no one should walk the cancer journey alone,” she concluded.
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
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The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) says it will deploy teams of Public Health Officers, members of its Sanitation Taskforce, and labourers, including sweepers and janitors, across all sub-metros to support the third National Sanitation Day exercise.
It explained that these teams will be equipped with waste collection trucks, tippers, and other tools to help with desilting, refuse collection, and transporting waste to approved disposal sites.
The AMA reminded residents that failing to comply with the sanitation directive or refusing to participate in communal labour is an offence.
It said offenders risk a fine of up to 100 penalty units, imprisonment between 30 days and six months, or both, with repeat offenders liable to additional daily penalties.
It urged all residents, traders, transport operators, market women, shop owners, landlords, tenants, and businesses to actively participate in the exercise.
The AMA said it counts on everyone’s collective responsibility to keep Accra clean, liveable, and resilient, especially as the city approaches Christmas and the New Year.
By: Jacob Aggrey
