The issue of women’s access to land has been discussed for decades. Despite the efforts to ensure land ownership for women, especially for farming purposes, it remains unresolved in some parts of the country. Although some women have been given access to lands or portions of lands to farm, most of these lands hold little to no value.

Urbanet, in partnership with the House of Chiefs and CECOTAP in North East Gonja district, organized a land dialogue to create awareness about the importance of women’s access to land, especially for agricultural purposes. The event brought together GROW2 WSHFs, chiefs, land owners, the DCE, opinion leaders, and gender equality champions, among other stakeholders.

The dialogue focused on ways to get easy access to fertile lands for women, with an emphasis on the significance of women’s smallholder farming. The GESI coordinator, Madam Nimatu, who led the dialogue, stated the significance of empowering women economically as well as socially. She stated the contribution of women to not just the household but also the community. She encouraged all the stakeholders present to advocate for women in any sense that contributes to positive development.

The GROW2 project aims to empower as many women economically as possible through agribusinesses. This is set to be achieved by providing opportunities for women smallholder farmers and entrepreneurs, this includes access to land and reducing inequalities. With the support of traditional leaders and other stakeholders, discussions will be held frequently to ensure success.

As part of the event, the GESI officer also engaged participants on the impact of WSHFs on households and the community at large. The contribution of these women to household development cannot be underestimated. It was a pleasure having the DCE, traditional leaders, and other stakeholders express the need to support them.