Gender Gaps Issues Hindering Women Empowerment in Upper East Region

Gender gaps with regards to women’s policies in the field of Agriculture and land related issues, have been identified as some of the obstacles bedeviling the full realization of women empowerment. 

As part of measures to address the said challenge and bridge  the gender gaps and to protect women’s economic livelihood, a day’s stakeholders engagement meeting has been organized by the Network for Women Rights in Ghana NETRIGHT on the theme ”Strengthening the Voices of Rural Farmers for improved Livelihoods”. 

The workshop organized in collaboration with the Women and Orphans Movement WOM in Bolgatanga brought together about 45 women organizations, women leaders and women farmers and other development partners across the three Northern regions. 

The workshop was aimed at raising critical awareness and sensitivity to gender gaps in order to solicit public support for reforms in the Agriculture and land sectors to enhance women’s livelihood.

 In the light of this, NETRIGHT which is made up of Civil Society Organizations from the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions including the International Federation of Women Lawyers FIDA, Ghana is requesting on the government to as a matter of urgency pay much attention to the livestock sector so as to help improve the livelihood of rural women farmers. 

Speaking to Ghana Today, the Director of Women and Orphans Movement,  Ms Fati Abigail Abdulai explained  that the  forum with sponsorship from  the African Women’s Development Fund AWDF was to identify and discuss specific issues in the land and agricultural sectors within the three northern Regions and to develop strategies that will be forwarded  to the Government for redress. 

Ms Alima Bawah , a member of the NETRIGHT and Co-founder of  “Cowtribe  Technology”, an NGO   stated  that,  majority of  women in the rural settings are into  livestock production, stressing that lack of  veterinary officers  in the rural areas to provide  technical know- how to the rural women farmers on how to effectively rear livestock coupled with the challenge of  vaccinating these livestock were some  of the major threats to livelihoods of rural women farmers.

Hajia Alima Sagito, a member of the group who delivered a presentation on the topic “Promoting Gender Equity in the Agricultural Sector –Policy Issues”, mentioned that in spite of the fact that women contributed about 70 percent to food production in the country and formed 52 per cent of the agricultural workforce, they were still marginalised when it comes to agriculture policies and interventions. 

She attributed the problem to gender inequalities in the agriculture sector, limited access to agricultural information and technologies and fewer opportunities for training among other factors. 

The marginalization of the role of women in agriculture in Ghana has been identified as the bane to the agriculture industry and until the government takes bold decision and the political will to prioritize gender issues in the sector, efforts at addressing gender equality will be a mirage.

The Gender Analysis of Agriculture and Lands Sectors Project initiated and sponsored by NETRIGHT and AWDF is a major step towards the achievement of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in these sectors as espoused in the National and International Laws.

Story by : GBC Emmanuel Akayeti