They said through these laudable advocacy works in support of women for their immeasurable contribution to the agriculture sector, the men were now beginning to recognize their role and have started responding to the call for women to also have access to farm land just as they did.

Madam Ruzah Ayuba, a member of the platform from Sakalu community gave the praise on behalf of her colleagues during the inauguration of the NGGA Sissala East District Women in Agriculture Platform in Tumu in the Upper West Region.

She said through such advocacy support, women in the district were equally gaining lots of practical skills and knowledge on best farming practices that was already helping them on their farms.

Madam Ruzah believed the NGGA platform would give them a stronger voice to press home their demands and contribute to decision making that would lead to the improvement of the needs of women in agriculture.

Madam Fidos Balali, a member of the Platform from Tasor Community said she gained so much skills and knowledge on best farming practices through the series of sensitization meetings she attended which she said was already helping her farming activities.

She revealed that through agriculture, she was able to send her child to Senior High School (SHS), stressing that without farming she had no any other source of income generating activity that could support her family needs the way agriculture did.

 Madam Catherine Dudimah, an Assembly woman, said she had been fighting for a very long time now for such kind of support for women in the district, and thanked God for the coming of the NGGA project.

She said the main activity of women in the district was farming and that with such kind of support they would be empowered and would be able to support their families to reduce the burden of poverty.

Madam Ruby Wuni, NGGA Women in Agriculture Coordinator cited lack of access to inputs, farm land and reliable agriculture information as some of the challenges confronted by women in agriculture.

 She highlighted the lack of women in decision making and said this should not be the case because women constituted about 70 per cent of the country’s workforce.

Madam Ruby said this explained the overall importance of the NGGA which sought to put all women in agriculture across the 28 selected districts in Northern Ghana unto a common platform to give them a stronger voice that would enable them advocate for their needs in agriculture.

Mr. Chrys S. K. Pul, Governance and Advocacy Specialist, NGGA assured the groups of their commitment to guide them to achieve the project goals.

NGGA is a five-year project that is being funded by USAID and implemented by a consortium of NGOs including CARE International Ghana, ActionAid Ghana, SEND Ghana and the West Africa Network for Peace-building (WANEP-Ghana).