There is a new flavour in the air in Africa. Women are now finding their voice and space in the critical sectors of our society. This is significant, because our continent is historically patriarchal. There was once a time when women’s contributions to progress of their communities were done in silence and from the shadows. In the worst scenarios, they did it by proxy – the men took the glory for whatever they brought to the table. But, not anymore. Unfolding before us is a new paradigm. It is as refreshing as it is fundamental. And it holds the key to an emerging developmental quantum leap in our clime.
Let us focus on one of such areas of vital importance: food. According to encyclopedia.com, although the subject of women and food is of vast importance, it is difficult to document.
“Unfortunately for women’s history in general, early historians customarily focused on public events (usually male), and most women’s records have been discarded or lost. Further, the material we have in greatest abundance is that of the wealthy, who were literate, had large properties and kitchens to manage, and kept records. If one generalisation can be made from this uneven data, it would probably be the concept that family cooking was universally associated with women and was shaped by location, period, culture, and class.”
This is why the Leading African Women in Food Fellowship is coming at the right time. Recognising the need to support women’s progress in the food ecosystem and raise awareness of their role as changemakers in the African agricultural sector, the African Food Changemakers collaborated with the Skoll Foundation to launch the Leading African Women in Food Fellowship programme, five months ago, on March 3.
The LAWFF is an ambitious programme aimed at supporting changemakers who are making outstanding contributions and impact in the African food ecosystem. It was designed to amplify, celebrate, champion, and advance the work of specially selected female food changemakers in five distinct value-adding categories.
After a rigorous nomination, application, and selection process led by industry experts and leaders, including representatives from organisations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, Africa Region, IITA, AfDB, and the SDG2 Advocacy Hub, 27 exceptional fellows were chosen from over 640 nominations, selected across five categories based on their fit with eligibility criteria, impact, and growth potential.
The first category is the disruptors: women who are creating or adapting tools, models, approaches, and/or harnessing technology to solve challenges within the food system. The second is the trailblazers: accomplished entrepreneurs who have made groundbreaking contributions to the African food ecosystem and paved the way for others. The third is the food/beverage narrative changers: storytellers and digital media gurus that create content, experiences, or products that amplify positive changes and opportunities in the ecosystem, change global narratives, and connect people to different African foods and beverages.
The fourth category is the top chefs in Africa: chefs and cooks who through their creativity and innovative cooking methods are changing the narratives about African food and showcasing our relevance and importance in the global food ecosystem. Then, lastly, the ecosystem enablers: private, public, and nonprofit leaders who introduce and scale innovative products, ideas, and/or opportunities that contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive food system. These fellows represent countries such as Benin, Cameroon, Côte D’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda. The LAWFF programme will culminate with the 2023 Africa Food System Forum Summit in Tanzania, which will take place by September 2023.
There are a number of reasons I am of the view that this innovative fellowship would become a milestone in the continent’s quest for food security. The first is the estimated gender impact on food production. According to a research paper, entitled, “Women and Agriculture: The Untapped Opportunity in the Wave of Transformation,” published in Feeding Africa (2015) by Bongiwe Njobe and Susan Kaaria; African women play a crucial role in the food and agriculture sector, representing up to 52 per cent of the total population and responsible for about 50 per cent of agricultural labour in sub-Saharan Africa. However, they face significant gender-specific barriers, including limited access to financing, information, training, and societal obstacles.
The Food and Agricultural Organisation has pronounced that these challenges hinder productivity in the agrifood system, contributing to underperformance in developing countries. The organisation also projects that closing the gender gap in agriculture would have far-reaching benefits, including a one per cent increase in global Gross Domestic Product (equivalent to nearly $1tn) and a two per cent reduction in global food insecurity, impacting 45 million food-insecure people. Therefore, with the barriers to be unshackled by the LAWFF, the region’s food ecosystem shall experience a new lease of life.
The second reason is that the fellowship dovetails into the Africa’s Food Systems Forum 2023 Summit, to be hosted by the United Republic of Tanzania, whose President, Samia Hassan, is a woman. The AGRF is the premier platform for advancing the agriculture and food systems agenda on the continent; from food security to agri-food investments. The annual summit convenes leaders, policymakers, scientists, heads of governments and private institutions, farmers, and the youth in the agriculture and food systems landscape to discuss and agree on practical actions and solutions that drive Africa’s food security and better livelihoods for all.
The 2023 summit aspires to position Africa as the place for innovation, investments, and to advance a stronger, more diverse, and resilient food system. It will also look to energise and spotlight continental progress beyond the call for aid, and showcase Africa’s solutions to Africa’s food systems transformation while spotlighting leadership, accountability, inclusion and investment opportunities in Africa in general and in Tanzania in particular.
Interestingly, Tanzania will be the first country to host the AGRF Summit since the forum was rebranded to Africa’s Food Systems Forum in 2022 as a reflection of the partnerships’ ambition to move forward the transformation of Africa’s food system and sustain engagement year-round. So, in my mind, it is highly significant that this new course takes off with a feminine touch. It gives the fellows a unique opportunity for further learning, networking, collaboration, visibility, recognition, and inspiration, as they serve as speakers and panelists, fostering stronger bonds among themselves, their trainers, and mentors.
Third, as you read this piece, the fellows are getting practical exposures through renowned personalities in mentorship and networking. They participate in weekly interactive training sessions throughout the programme, sharing experiences, peer-to-peer learning, and support, every Wednesday from May to September. They also receive enhanced media visibility and connections to AFC partner networks for funding and scaling. Notable trainers, including Carla Denizard from World Vision International, Ada Osakwe from the Nuli Juice Company, Victoria Onyeagbako from WIPO Nigeria, and Temi Adegoroye from Sahel Consulting, volunteer their time to engage with the fellows, covering topics such as intellectual property, work-life balance, vision boarding, communication, visibility, and more.
Certainly, from the earliest days of prehistory, women have not only nurtured society with their own kinds of cookery but also figured predominantly in the agricultural innovation that, to this day, feeds much of the world. But it has been suggested that the division of food responsibility was a consequence of women’s limited mobility, resulting from childbearing and extended periods of childcare. Therefore, bearing in mind that today’s gender roles are fluid and dynamic, the ongoing LAWFF could actually chart a new positive, progressive path for not only Africa, but the entire developing world.
