According to the Minister, women constitute nearly half of the agricultural labour force and play essential roles across production, processing, trading and household food security. However, persistent inequalities in access to land, finance, technology, extension services, markets and leadership opportunities continue to weaken their contributions and undermine national development.

Speaking at the opening of a two-day sub-regional awareness-raising workshop in Accra on the Voluntary Guidelines on Gender Equality and Women’s and Girls’ Empowerment, Mr. Opoku — whose speech was delivered on his behalf by the National Coordinator of the Feed Ghana Programme, Mr. Bright Demordzi — stressed that closing the gender gap was both a moral duty and a strategic investment in Africa’s future.

Citing global research, he noted that productivity could rise by as much as 30 per cent if women received equal access to agricultural resources, translating into stronger rural economies, reduced poverty and more resilient food systems across Africa. He said addressing these inequalities demanded deliberate policy action, institutional reforms and coordinated regional collaboration.

The workshop, organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), brought together government representatives, civil society, academia, researchers and private sector partners from four West African countries to deepen understanding of the Guidelines and explore how they can be integrated into national and regional policies.

The Guidelines, he explained, represent a historic global achievement as the first comprehensive, multilaterally agreed framework dedicated to embedding gender equality into food security and nutrition policies. They provide a clear roadmap for countries seeking to redesign agrifood institutions, investments and programmes to better address the needs of women and girls.

Mr. Opoku indicated that Ghana was already aligning its agricultural transformation agenda with the principles of the Guidelines through initiatives such as the Feed Ghana Programme and the Poultry Sector Revitalisation Agenda. Donor-supported interventions are also expanding opportunities for women across the value chain by improving access to inputs, mechanisation, digital advisory services, processing support and entrepreneurship training.

He reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to working with FAO and regional partners to ensure practical implementation of the Guidelines, stressing that the region’s food security goals would remain out of reach without sustained investment in women and girls.

FAO’s Ms. Alejandra Safa Barraza added that women continue to dominate sub-Saharan Africa’s food systems, yet many still lack access to key productive assets, credit and technology. Empowering them, she noted, was both an issue of equity and an economic imperative capable of transforming household welfare and driving national development.