Olam Food Ingredients Ghana Limited (ofi), one of the largest private Licenced Buying Companies (LBCs) in Ghana’s cocoa sector and the leading exporter of cashew in the industry, has commemorated this year’s UN International Day of Women & Girls in Science with farmers in its supply chain at Obuoba Village in Nkawkaw.
The programme was celebrated under the theme ‘Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Women & Girls in Science as Agents of Change in Transforming the Cocoa & Cashew Industries’, and brought together over 300 predominantly women farmers under the ofi sustainability programme to receive expert knowledge and technical advice from qualified women scientists at the Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) and Seed Production Division (SPD) of COCOBOD.
The celebration was to recognise the role of women and girls in science as agents of change in the cocoa and cashew industries. Speaking at the programme, Mrs. Faustine Asamany, the Executive Director of SPD, said the quality attached to Ghana cocoa beans is the result of intensive scientific research invested in the area. She indicated that there is a need to increase the participation of women and girls in science to serve as role-models for farmers, lead in the fight against child labour, and contribute significantly in the area of research.
The event was held in two sessions: the first involved farm visits to various societies where farmers received education on the benefits of good agricultural practices for increased productivity. The second session had an audience of more than 500 people made up of farmers, students pursuing courses in science who were also children of cocoa farmers, and the leadership and staff of ofi.
Other speakers involved in the programme included Dr. Patricia Adu-Yeboah, an agronomist at CRIG, who talked about her experiences in providing cost-effective strategies to improve cocoa, coffee, cashew and shea production. Dr. Esther Gyedu-Akoto, a research scientist at CRIG, encouraged farmers to support their children to pursue higher learning. Dr. Evelyn Ahiale, an Agric Economist at CRIG, encouraged the young girls not to shy away from the science fields. She also touched on equity, and admonished farmers to share available resources equally between their male and female children.
The programme provided a platform to engage farmers and showcase the benefit of education, especially for young girls. Forty students pursuing courses in the sciences at the secondary and tertiary levels participated, and some shared their experiences with the team.
The Country Head of Olam Food Ingredients Ghana Limited, Mr. Eric Asare Botwe said: ‘This event was a great way to engage women and girls on the importance of education, and hopefully spark an interest in science. Because we know that when we give them the right support, women and girls can become catalysts for more sustainable cocoa communities and healthier families.
“That’s why, under our Cocoa Compass sustainability ambition, we’re also actively promoted gender equality through initiatives like Village Savings and Loans Associations which help women take control of their finances and save for their children’s education.”
The business distributed souvenirs for participants to encourage them in their academic pursuits.
