The engagements, held in Tamale, were supported by the African Women's Development Fund (AWDF) under the project: "Strengthening Women's Voice and Leadership in Agricultural Policy and Economic Empowerment".
It targeted more than 600 women trade leaders including weavers and women in the informal trade sector across five zones in the Tamale, Sagnarigu, and Savelugu Municipalities.

The trainings brought the women together to form strong regional coalitions to serve as unified platforms for advocacy, mentorship, and peer support in their pursuit of economic rights and justice.

Hajia Alima Sagito-Saeed, Executive Director of SWIDA-Ghana, speaking during the engagements, underscored the importance of building the capacity of women leaders to influence policies that directly affected their livelihoods.

She said the initiative was a timely intervention to empower women to actively participate in agricultural and economic decision-making processes.

Hajia Sagito-Saeed expressed gratitude to AWDF for its consistent funding support to advancing agricultural advocacy and women's empowerment initiatives in the northern part of the country.

Mr Mohammed Gadafi Mandeya, Executive Director of AfriYouth, emphasized the importance of the initiative and urged participants to take advantage of the opportunity to strengthen their skills, expand their networks, and use their collective voice to push for fair policies and access to resources.

During the training, the sessions, focused on key areas such as women's rights and economic empowerment, gender- responsive agricultural and trade policies, leadership and negotiation skills, financial literacy, the use of social media for marketing, and market access strategies.

Other discussions focused on climate-smart practices in agriculture, social protection for women in the informal sector, and building resilience against economic shocks.

As part of the events, special mentorship sessions were also held where experienced women entrepreneurs and advocates shared their personal journeys, challenges, and lessons learned in leadership and business growth.

There were sessions created as safe spaces for peer-to-peer exchange, mentorship, and solidarity inspiring younger women leaders to take up active roles in male-dominated spaces.
Participants commended SWIDA-Ghana, AfriYouth and partners for the training, saying the engagements had enabled them to build stronger coalitions, gain new advocacy and leadership skills, and establish networks for mentorship and collaboration.