GIZ through the Sustainable Employment through Agribusiness (AgriBiz) Programme will continue to support female entrepreneurs in the agribusiness sector.

"We are proud to support Guzakuza once again in the upcoming Ignite 2021 Programme", Dr. Elke Stumpf, the Head of the Agribiz Programme has said during a visit to the GIZ AgriBiz programme in Accra.

The visit of Guzakuza to the GIZ AgriBiz Programme was to extend their appreciation for their support to enable young female agri-preneurs undergo a transformational training and coaching programme that will lead to the growth of their business.

Dr Stumpf added; "The programme is supporting public and private agri-business institutions with a strong focus on job creation, particularly for women and the youth" and expressed delight on the Ignite programme and the value addition to the young female entrepreneurs who benefitted from the programme.

She reiterated that AgriBiz would continue to partner Guzakuza and other like-minded organisations to support such programmes targeting women in agribusiness.

In the past the Market-oriented Agriculture programme (MOAP), implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, on behalf of the Federal German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), was partnering Guzakuza, in support of the Ignite 2020 programme, which successfully ended on 30th June, 2021.

Now the AgriBiz programme will continue this support towards Ignite.

Ignite is an agri-business accelerator model for African young women in agribusiness and is in response to the challenges of young female agri-preneurs including; inadequate technical know-how, market access limitations, and a lack of mentorship and networks resulting in their inability to scale.

The programme is designed to support aspiring female entrepreneurs in the agri-processing and agricultural services sector.

Ignite 2020 was an avenue for participants to build their capacities, receive toolkits, relevant resources and be part of a community of like-minded peers.

A total of 120 women from 15 African countries were trained, coached and mentored by seasoned agribusiness experts and 35 Ghanaian female agri-preneurs were part of the 2020 Ignite batch.

Guzakuza, represented by Henry Fordi, stated: "In 2020, Guzakuza was privileged to have GIZ onboard its Ignite programme as a sponsor. This was a year, where most women owned small businesses were struggling due to the COVID– 19 pandemic. Together, Guzakuza and GIZ amplified the voices of these young African women in Agribusiness by equipping them with tools and resources to build and sustain their agribusinesses and also provided them with a community to turn to in these difficult times. To GIZ, we say thank you and we look forward to more fruitful partnerships."

AgriBiz supports the Ghanaian Ministry of Trade and Industry to improve the framework conditions for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

This is achieved through interventions on capacity development for agribusiness MSMEs and the long-term institutionalization of this approach among private and public service providers, as well as strengthening the representation of interests through member-based organisations.

AgriBiz, which started in April 2021 and runs until March 2024, builds the capacities of MSMEs for aggregating and processing agricultural and natural products.

Interventions are focused on tailor-made training and coaching of enterprises, piloting and upscaling innovative technologies, support for improved quality management systems and certification, advisory services on the use of by-products and exploration of new markets.

GIZ, as a provider of international cooperation services for sustainable development and international education work, is dedicated to building a future worth living around the world.

It has over 50 years of experience in a wide variety of areas, including economic development and employment, energy and the environment, and peace and security.

Currently, GIZ promotes sustainable development in Ghana via about 50 programmes and projects and is boosting Ghana's potential by focusing its projects on three priority areas: Responsibility for our planet - climate and energy, Training and sustainable growth for decent jobs as well as Peaceful and inclusive societies.

Additionally, our portfolio extends to other areas such as environment, peace and security

Founded in 2015, Guzakuza a social enterprise seeks to inspire young women in Agribusiness and has developed an ecosystem that inspires its target group to be profitable, achieve sustainable growth and build resilient agribusiness in Africa.

In the past six years, Guzakuza had successfully inspired women to build disruptive agribusinesses through its game changing initiatives such as Ignite, Dopal Natural Farm, SheFarms, Women in Agribusiness Forum and MentorHer.

Ignite provides tools and resources for young African women to build resilient Agribusiness through virtual and residential trainings, coaching, mentorship, internship, field visits, access to ready markets and a continental cooperative of young women in Agribusiness

In the last 4 years, 131 young women from 16 African countries have graduated. 69 percent of igniters are still operating their businesses with over 200 jobs created.

Guzakuza's Dopal Natural Farm in Aburi works with communities to protect biodiversity, promote climate change, promote food security and sustain farm lands for future generations.

The Rural women in Agribusiness initiative known as SheFarms is a revolution to inspire rural young women to make income and impact through vegetable farming. It also supports cocoa farmers with digital tools and services.

In the last 3 years, Guzakuza through its Women in Agribusiness Forum, has brought together over 900 women within the agribusiness value chain to dialogue, share knowledge and experiences as well as network and discuss relevant Agribusiness trends.