By Rebecca Ekpe
Women are critical to the sustainability of the entire Cocoa Industry, despite the perception of cocoa as a male crop. In all cocoa-producing countries, women play a vital role as cocoa producers, where they perform almost half of the work of cocoa farms, with Cocoa households, where they sustain and support household members and also within the cocoa communities which sustain local markets.
However, because women are often in the background, they are not seen as reaching their full potential. And there is a need to bridge this gap.
This was the consensus at the Celebration of International Women’s Day by the Mondelez International-Cocoa Life Program and ABANTU for Development. It brought together stake-holders in the Cocoa Industry including Women Cocoa Farmers from production areas across Ghana.
”Commemoration of the 2023 International Women’s Day presents an opportunity for the Cocoa Life Community and key stakeholders to celebrate Women Farmers who have utilized the empowerment to occupy leadership positions within the Farmer Unions, Farmer Societies, and other spaces within the various Cocoa Life Districts and Communities”, according to Country Director, Cocoa Life Ghana Program, Yaa Peprah Amekudzi.
As the 2023 International Women’s Day Celebration is themed, ”DigitALL:Innovation and Technology for Gender Equity #Embrace Equity”, Madam Amekudzi did not mince words. She challenged the women farmers to endeavour to incorporate technology into their everyday work alluding in simple terms to how the blender has revolutionized grinding foods in the Kitchen.
Executive Director, ABANTU For Development, Rose Mensah Kutin added her voice to how the ”Women Cocoa Farmers can take advantage of technology to work faster”, instead of cutlasses we are using ”pruners, why not embrace it”, she asked, adding that ”it would minimize working hours”.
Jennifer Asuako, Gender Analyst with UNDP disclosed that so far 20,000 Women Farmers have been supported under the Cocoa Life Partnership Program.
”In order to build a truly sustainable Cocoa Sector, where Women are able to fully participate in and profit from Cocoa Farming, all barriers must be broken down”.
A clarion call from the Department of Gender of Ghana’s Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.
