Kigali: Private sector CEOs, government minsters, dignitaries and leaders in the development sector in Rwanda came together in a landmark dialogue meeting where they resolved to strengthen their collaboration and support to women entrepreneurs in agriculture.
The leaders, who attended the event included former Rwanda Minster for Agriculture and AGRA President Dr. Agnes Kalibata, US Ambassador Peter Vrooman and CEO of the Rwanda Development Board Ms. Clare Akamanzi.
The meeting was part of a series of in-country networking and advocacy events led by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and a coalition of private sector partners through a platform known as VALUE4HER.
AGRA organizes the VALUE4HER meetings to facilitate closer dialogue between women agribusiness leaders and industry stakeholders.
VALUE4HER is a platform that aims to increase incomes and employment opportunities for women by providing women-led agribusinesses in Africa with access to markets and trade, finance and investments, knowledge and skills to strengthen their performance.
It does so mainly through VALUE4HERConnect, Africa’s first women in agribusiness digital marketplace, which offers integrated business solutions to women agri-businesses. The platform creates an avenue through which women agripreneurs and those who support them can easily reach out to one another, share knowledge and access strategic resources and services.
“Supporting women in agriculture can bring us much closer to achieving the sustainable transformation in agriculture we want in Africa. VALUE4HER helps give women entrepreneurs the tools and information they need to grow their agriculture businesses and thus amplify their contribution towards sustainable development in Africa.”, said AGRA President Dr. Agnes Kalibata while speaking at the event.
“With the world more digitized today than ever before, businesses in Rwanda and Africa must embrace digitization to adapt and thrive. Value4Her is not only harnessing digitization to support small and medium-sized enterprises, it is also empowering women entrepreneurs and thus supporting the continent’s broader socio-economic progress.”, said Peter Vrooman, US Ambassador to Rwanda who spoke at the event.
“Boosting agriculture will continue to reduce poverty and accelerate Rwanda’s economic growth. Initiatives like VALUE4HER form a necessary part of unlocking this growth potential by giving our women the tools they need to make a meaningful contribution to the economy.”, said Dr. Mukeshimana Geraldine, Rwanda Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources while speaking at the event.
The VALUE4HER in country dialogues facilitate interaction among women agribusinesses, public and private-sector stakeholders through a series of panel discussions, keynote addresses and face-to-face networking opportunities.
