Synergos ’s Post

Ponny Lim runs a thriving aquaculture enterprise in Cambodia, growing her business with the support of a United Nations programme that guarantees loans to women entrepreneurs who are beyond microfinance but not yet ready for corporate finance. Working in a largely male dominated sector, Ponny has used this additional capital to take her products to other markets, and is also now supporting other women in her community to tackle gender bias and run their own businesses. In #AsiaPacific, an estimated $4.5 trillion would be added to the region’s GDP by tackling gender disparities in economic opportunities. #InvestInWomen is not only a moral imperative to achieving a more just and equal world, but an economic necessity, crucial to fostering sustainable, inclusive and prosperous economies. Read more in our new blog: https://bit.ly/43dKgyt

Happening Now. Join the team as we discuss how women are providing pivotal leadership in driving Africa's agriculture transformation #InvestinWomen

Africa has the highest percentage of women entrepreneurs in the world according to the African Development Bank; 25.9% of women are in the process of starting or managing a business in sub-Saharan Africa. Women are also beginning to play central leadership roles in the economy. In 2018, sub-Saharan African women held 24.3% of African company Board seats (and represented 24.5% of board chairs), compared with 27% on corporate Boards worldwide. In terms of labour force, women’s participation in industry and services has increased since 2010, and in agriculture women constitute 40% of crop production labour.

Unlocking the potential of young African women in the workforce means breaking barriers. ACET mapped these hurdles and enablers across agriculture, tourism, and BPO sectors in Ghana🇬🇭 & Senegal🇸🇳. Discover how governments can #InspireInclusion: https://bit.ly/3wPBo61 #IWD2024

This week, we celebrate International Day of Rural Women and chatted with the women within the CL AME Team about rural women's challenges in our region. Championing agriculture in Africa is a formidable task affecting both men and women. However, it's crucial to recognize that African women often bear a heavier burden within the agricultural landscape due to deeply entrenched gender disparities. These disparities manifest in various ways, including systemic and legislative frameworks that inhibit women's agricultural outputs. One significant issue is the challenge women face in securing land ownership. In some African cultures, women cannot legally or customarily own land, primarily due to patriarchal policies, legislative barriers, and regulatory frameworks surrounding land ownership. This situation forces many women to rely on leasing land rather than owning it outright. Consequently, they often find it challenging to invest in long-term agricultural activities, such as cultivating fruits and trees that require extended periods to mature and generate income in local and international markets. Another major hurdle is the limited access to reliable financial and banking services encountered by African women, especially rural smallholder farmers. Reports indicate that certain African financial and banking institutions are not particularly women-friendly and do not readily offer women access to essential loan instruments and facilities. Globally, there remains a significant gender gap in financial access. For instance, within sub-Saharan Africa, only 37% of women have bank accounts, compared to approximately 48% of men. This gap has actually widened in recent years, particularly in North Africa, where about two-thirds of the adult population lacks access to banking services. Shockingly, the gender gap in access to finance in this region stands at 18%, making it the most significant such divide in the world. Moreover, women farmers often struggle to provide the necessary collateral within these financial institutions when loans are sought. This limits their ability to access critical financial support for their agricultural endeavors. Dr Samira Amallel, Director General of CropLife Africa Middle East, says, "Empowering women in agriculture is not just a matter of equity; it's a strategic imperative for sustainable development in Africa. By addressing these challenges and promoting gender equality in agriculture, we can unlock the vast potential of women farmers and contribute to the broader goals of food security and economic growth across the continent." #WomenInAg #RuralWomen #GenderEquality #SustainableAgri #AgriPOWERment

Food Security and Improved Incomes for All can only be achieved when women are economically empowered. Great to see how central this is in the work of 2Scale:

Today, around 50,000 #women are benefiting from IFAD-funded projects currently implemented in the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Moldova. Investing in women benefits the society as a whole. Here are a few insights into how #IFAD is impacting the lives of #ruralwomen in two of its country portfolios: - In the Rural Resilient Project (RRP) in #Moldova, around 19,000 #women are supported by the project, representing over 50% of the beneficiaries reached out. This 8-year-long project under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, supported over 37,000 persons, including women entrepreneurs and women-led start-ups through funding and ad-hoc financial training to support their businesses. - In #Kyrgyzstan, over 30,000 #women are supported by the Access to Markets Project (ATMP). They represent over 33% of the 89,000 beneficiaries receiving services from the Project. ATMP is in its final months of activities and has incisively acted in the pastoral communities to raise incomes and impact rural economic growth. Specific activities to enhance women's roles and rights in rural communities have been funded, along with the promotion of the Gender Action Learning Systems. As such, the agenda for gender inclusion and justice, community leadership, leading towards transformative actions has been successfully promoted in rural Kyrgyzstan. In #IFAD Women + investment = exponential returns 📈 International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) #UCIP #APIU #IWD2024 #IWD #sustainablecommunities #ruralcommunities #womenrights #womensday #internationalwomensday #women #womenempowerment

As we celebrate Women's History Month, we remind you of 3 exceptional women who have made significant impact 🚀: 𝐄𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐟 (𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚): She was the first elected female head of state in Africa and served as President of Liberia from 2006 to 2018. Under Sirleaf's leadership, Liberia experienced significant economic growth, with GDP increasing from $550 million in 2006 to over $2 billion in 2017. She also implemented key reforms in governance, education, and healthcare, leading to improvements in literacy rates and life expectancy. 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐢 𝐌𝐚𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐢 (𝐊𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐚): In 1977, she founded the Green Belt Movement, which focused on tree planting, conservation, and women's rights. By 2004, the Green Belt Movement had planted over 30 million trees across Kenya. The movement also empowered women through job creation and environmental education, with over 900,000 women participating in tree-planting activities. 𝐍𝐠𝐨𝐳𝐢 𝐎𝐤𝐨𝐧𝐣𝐨-𝐈𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐚 (𝐍𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚): Former Finance Minister of Nigeria, and the first woman and African to serve as the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). As Finance Minister, she implemented economic reforms to stabilize Nigeria's economy and reduce corruption. During her tenure, Nigeria's GDP grew from $74 billion in 2003 to $509 billion in 2013. As WTO Director-General, she has prioritised efforts to reform global trade policies and increase access to essential goods for developing countries. These exceptional achievements illuminate the impact women make in advancing their communities and nations at large. This further amplifies the #internationalwomensday 2024 theme – Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.❤️ Share in the comments a woman who you believe has made significant impact in your community 👏🏾. Animation credit: Dan Williams and Audax. #womenshistorymonth #iwd2024 #inspireinclusion

Women agripreneurs accelerating progress. This #IWD2024, we celebrate women entrepreneurs making successful strides in agribusiness. The stories of these women and the impact they make in their businesses motivate us to #InspireInclusion by #InvestingInWomen. 👩🌾🌍💪 🌟 The SME Loop has impacted about 450 agribusinesses in Ghana. This initiative is funded by Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through GIZ implemented programme "Sustainable Employment through Agribusiness (AgriBiz)" Elitrust  #BMZ #EconomicGrowth #WomenInBusiness #germancooperation #BMZ

We successfully convened our Grassroots Women Assembly yesterday, where we conducted a comprehensive review of our progress, shared best practices, and engaged in dynamic discussions regarding the challenges and barriers that affect the participation and benefits of women in agricultural trade and value chain processes in Uganda. During the assembly, we also disseminated findings from our recent study, which assessed the responsiveness of the Uganda Women's Entrepreneurship Program (UWEP) and the Parish Development Model(PDM) to the empowerment needs of both women and men. The study, conducted in three districts—Jinja, Kaabong, and Bugiri—utilized the comprehensive Gender Evaluation Criteria (GEC). The study's results highlighted various complex issues, including complex requirements, corruption, poor coordination, male dominance, weak monitoring mechanisms, and political patronage as obstacles, hindering both women and men from equally participating in the programs. The report emphasizes crucial recommendations for stakeholders to take immediate action in order to fulfill the aspirations of both programs, promoting gender equal opportunities for men and women in Uganda including; 1. Streamlining communication around the programmes so that all stakeholders have clear messages upon which can be implemented to avoid exploiting beneficiaries. 2. Meaningful inclusion of people in the design and selection of enterprises. 3. Ease requirements for registration to ensure that they are practical to the ordinary women and men at the grassroots  4. Strengthen transparency and accountability mechanisms to prevent, detect and severely punish corruption in the programmes 5. Ensure regular audits of the funds 6. De-politicisation of the projects to ensure all people regardless of their political affiliation benefit from the programmes 7. Need to use lower-level technical people e.g. parish chief who are closer to the people 8. Inclusion of CSOs in the design and roll-out of programmes #Fair4all #GrassrootsWomenMovementForDevelopment Oxfam Novib Huairou Commission