Fonio, a grain rich in nutrients and cultural significance in Africa, is low in cholesterol, sodium, and fat. It is a good source of calcium, iron, and B vitamins. Fonio is a neglected indigenous crop that has the unique ability to regenerate depleted soils after 3 years of continuous cultivation.

Amaati is a Ghanaian social enterprise that has been instrumental in reviving Fonio cultivation in Northern Ghana.

In an interview sighted by Citi News on Friday, Salma Abdulai, the Co-Founder and CEO of Amaati, revealed that the company has expanded from 10 landowners to over 5000 smallholder women farmers and 1600 men farmers.

“The biggest impact created is the over 22,000 jobs that Amaati has created in the fonio value chain, and that alone can be valued over $200,000 in two years.”

“We have moved from 10 landowners to 5000 smallholder women farmers. But overall, we have about 1600 men farmers. Overall, we have 7800 smallholder farmers,” she stated.

Ms. Abdulai emphasized that Amaati’s collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation and IDH had facilitated plowing services for smallholder farmers, seed provision, and post-harvest management tools like tarpaulins to ensure quality products.

She further stated that this partnership had broadened Amaati’s reach in terms of smallholder farmers and its supplies over the past two years.

“We’ve supported 4000 smallholder women farmers, and as a result, they have increased their yield by at least 10%, generating more income…And also, we have been able to link to markets, which is generating revenue for Amaati and making us a sustainable business,” she said.

Ms. Abdulai said she founded Amaati with the vision of empowering women to be financially independent and not just be married off.

About Amaato Company

Amaati is a triple-bottom-line business tackling food insecurity and poverty in the rural savannah zone. It is a registered social enterprise that pioneered the revival of Fonio in Northern Ghana after 10 decades of its extinction.

It works with farmers, particularly women, in producing and processing Fonio. The enterprise was formed with the idea of creating sustainable livelihoods for women farmers whose lands are degraded due to excessive usage and creating a land management system where the lands can be regenerated and used to grow Fonio and food crops.

Amaati is nourishing the world starting from the soil up. The company believes that sustainable food production and consumption depend heavily on the soil, and as such, Amaati is using a market-led approach to support vulnerable landless women in deprived communities in rural savannah to cultivate a unique indigenous grain, “Fonio,” on community poor soils that have been abandoned.

As a pioneering company reviving Fonio in Ghana, it facilitates women’s access to marginal lands to cultivate Fonio.

Its mission is to create sustainable communities in West Africa through the use of Fonio, which nourishes the land, people, and society.

Its objective is to stimulate production and consumption of Fonio and its associated products by improving post-harvest processing.