Member of Parliament for the Korle-Klottey Constituency, Hon. Dr. Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings has urged Ghanaian Queen Mothers to mobilize, and as part of their activities, petition parliament with their concerns and demands.
She said petitioning government or parliament should not be, and is not the sole privilege of pressure groups and civil society organizations.
“Royals we need to hear more from you,” Hon. Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings stressed in her remarks at the ‘Gathering of the Royals and Stakeholders Meeting,’ organized by Agrihouse Foundation in Accra, on the theme, “The Role of Royals in Accelerating Agri-Peace and Developing Sustainable Farmers.”
“You have the opportunities to even come to parliament,” she said, “You can come and visit the speaker and share your concerns. You can put together petitions and bring to the speaker. These are all ways you can put pressure to have your concerns addressed. It shouldn’t just be the CSO’s we keep hearing about. You are a force to reckon with, and if you speak up, we cannot ignore your voices,” she ended.
The half-day event brought together fifty queen mothers and traditional leaders, with stakeholders from academia, policymakers, government, development agencies and Agric institutions, to foster dialogue, strengthen partnerships and collaborative efforts.
The event further enabled the stakeholders to explore opportunities within the agric sector, as well as conflict resolutions alternatives towards Peace-building, and the development of sustainable farmers in our country.
In a moderated Panel Conversation, the Queen Mothers highlighted ways they are engaged in community development, as well as agriculture.
Nana Akua Amoah II, the Paramount Queen Mother of Tuobodom Bono Eastern Region, said she cultivates over 60 acres of farmland, including cashew nuts and mangos.
Ohemaa nana yaa Asaa Safoa ll, Senior Divisional Queen Mother, of Akwamufie, in the Eastern Region, revealed she cultivates 75 acres of farmland, growing palm nuts, coconuts, plantains, onions, and tomatoes.
Nana Odeatwon ll, the Divisional Queen Mother of Ketekrachie, Oti Region, said she is a farmer, processor and aggregator, with 19 acres of farmland, growing cashew nuts, cassava, groundnuts and maize.
Nana Amonsah Dokua lll, the Paramount Queen Mother of Osudoku traditional Area, and the President of the Greater Accra Queen Mothers Association, she grows rice, cattle, cassava, maize and peppers.
Nana Dankwah lll, the Queen Mother of Lower Dixcove Traditional Area, in the Westen region, said she cultivates 1 acre of farmland, growing cassava and plantains.
Nana Akosua Brimpomah, the District Chief Farmer, of Sekyere-Kumawu, in the Ashanti region, revealed she grows cattle, cocks, coconuts and cocoa.
Portia Asumda, the leader of Kosanaba Women farmers and Processors, in Bawku, in the West-Upper Eastern Region, revealed her group cultivates 30 acres of farmland, growing rice, groundnuts, soyabeans, and Bambara beans. The group also rearing cattle’s and Guinea fowls.
Ayisheitu mahamadu Asaki, the Queen mother of Zebilla, Bawku West District, in the Upper East Region, said she cultivates over 30 arces of farmland, growing maize, rice, millet, groundnut, tomatoes, onions, and green peppers.
They noted that through community meetings and farmer group deliberations with other women farmers, they are able to inspire more women and young people in the communities to take up farming.
They outlined a number of agri-focused projects ongoing in the districts and communities; some private owned and other government owned projects.
Touching on their challenges as women in agriculture, the Queen Mothers outlined concerns including, inequalities in the land tenure system, poor road networks to and from farmlands, lack of capital and high interest rates of banks, insufficient market for their crops and inadequate processing centres.
The rest include, cattle and elephant invasions, poor irrigation supply on their farms, lack of extension officers and farm equipment, lack agric training and capacity building centres for farmers, fertilizer accessibility challenges, and lack of farming protective wears.
Speaking to the challenges highlighted by the queen mothers, Member of Parliament noted that, the concerns of the queens, must as a matter of urgency, find expression in policy design and implementation, to influence the state of their lives for the better.
She said the 1992 constitution is special document because it involved the contributions of everyday people, and thus, it is important that, as a society we move away from seeing technocrats as the only important stakeholders.
“You are the ones on the ground who know what is happening,” she addressed the Queen Mothers, “you know the struggles, and challenges and importantly, you have the solutions to advise us on the kinds of policies that will ensure that gender mainstreaming moves from an abstract concept”
She noted that, a woman expected to play a secondary role to a man in these times is very unfortunate, and therefore used the opportunity to call for action towards ending inequalities that bedevil agriwomen in the areas of land tenure system, access to farming equipment, farming inputs, access to finance and training and capacity building.
“We need to talk about how women do not have access to land ownership and resources. Agric is the backbone of our country and women are the foundation of it,” she stressed, “but the women are rarely acknowledged. It is time to change that.”
She reiterated her commitment to the course of women empowerment in the country, as she assured the queen mothers that their concerns have been heard, and in her capacity, she would work with her colleagues to continue amplifying their challenges.
“We have to ensure that the three arms of government work together to address these problems, so that we don’t come back here next year, talking about the same things,” she said.
For her part, the Chairman of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Madam Josephine Nkrumah, praised Agrihouse Foundation for organizing event that has made room for the queen mothers to amplify their concerns, and connect them to partners and stakeholders who can address the issues.
She said, beyond being agricultural challenges, the concerns the queen have highlighted further speak to issues of gender equality, nation building, and security, which are all paramount to be addressed.
“When we discuss these issues, we always look at them from the top; but we need to get down to the basics, and understand how these issues affect the bigger picture of nation building,” she stressed.
She therefore called on policymakers and corporate entities who were present at the event, to as part of their corporate social responsibilities, work with the queen mothers and traditional leaders to address their challenges.
“Let’s begin to see these challenges as corporate social responsibilities. We should not make this event another talk shop. We have had enough talk shops. The event is a call to action,” she stressed.
She urged the queen mothers not to underestimate their powers, “Women are the influencers, and Queen Mothers drive policy at the basic level. Do not underestimate your powers; when you rise up and speak, people listen,” she said.
For his part, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee of Food Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs, Hon. John Osei Frimpong, said to further grow Ghana’s agricultural sector, government must improve public expenditure allocation and management as well as budget coordination in agriculture.
He said the Ministry of Food and Agriculture must improve the collection and analysis of agricultural statistics to produce high quality and credible data for planning on regular basis.
Furthermore, the ministry must also improve the efficiency and effectiveness of input subsidy programs and fix gaps in input supply legislation.
In her brief remarks, the Development Queen Mother of Afigya-Kwabre District in the Ashanti region, Nana Adjoa Awindor, stressed on the need for policy implementation. She said it was not enough for agencies to draft agric documents. The policies must be implemented to ensure growth in the lives of the women. “At the second gathering of the royals, we should see that we have made progress; our queen mothers should sit here and tell us how policymakers and corporate bodies have supported their endeavours” she said.
For her part, the Executive Director of Savannah women Integrated Development Agency Ghana (SWIDA), also said to improve agriculture and community, women in leadership positions must not be compromised. Institutions and corporate bodies must engage more women in decision-making, and in the implementation of projects.
“We need to mentor more young women to become leaders in their communities and head initiatives,” she said.
She noted that, the inequality margins are widening, and it was therefore important for all stakeholders, especially women and queen mothers, to sit up, and take the responsibility of insisting and demanding for resources and opportunities to develop.
“It is unfortunate that even with the constitution; women are denied opportunities and resources to build their capacity. It is therefore a matter of calling for action, and insist on policy directions that can change the negative trend,” she said.
Touching on the Sustainable Development Goals, the Executive Director said, the implementation efforts must centre on the development of women.
“The work must intentionally target the progress and development of women, because women are change agents in the communities and families. Empowering the queen mothers will give them power to lead more women and change in their communities,” she added.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the National Farmers and Fishermen Award Winners Association, Mr. Korboe Narh Davies, praised Agrihouse Foundation for continuously empowering value chain actors with events and training programs that educate and help them improve on their skills, knowledge and capacity. He said NFAWAG would continue to be strong supporter of Agrihouse, as the organization aligns with the initiatives of the Foundation.
Support for the Queen Mothers
In wrapping up the Panel Conversation, the Dialogue Moderator, in the person of, Country Director of OCP Africa, Mr. Samuel Oduro-Asare announced a support package for the Queen Mothers.
He said OCP Africa would provide the queen mothers with free soil testing services, as well as free bags of fertilizers and further, enrol them in the women in agric booster program facilitated by the organization. This training program would impart them with new farming knowledge and help them build on their skills, which they can translate to more women in their communities.
He further urged the stakeholders and head of corporate bodies who were present to live up to their promises by working to address the challenges the queen mothers have elaborated on.
The event ended on high notes with calls to action, in the areas of improving access to fund for women in agriculture; creating and sustaining markets for agriwomen, addressing unfavorable land tenure systems that hinder the development of agriwomen; addressing the lack of capacity building and training programs that hinder the progress of agriwomen; among others. The policy directions and calls to actions would be contained in a communique, which organizers anticipate would inform policymakers to come-up with clear and workable measures towards the growth and development of Ghanaian women in the agricultural sector.
