WOMEN cocoa farmers in Ondo State have called on the federal and state governments to ensure their inclusion in the African Cocoa Agenda 2063.
The agenda is a continental blueprint aimed at revolutionising cocoa farming for sustainable economic growth across Africa.
They made the appeal at the weekend during a stakeholders’ engagement convened by the development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC) in partnership with the Association of Women in Trade and Agriculture (AWITA) in Ile-Oluji Local Government Area of the state.
Participants at the engagement included members of AWITA’s Ile-Oluji cocoa cluster, its national leadership, and a research team from the dRPC.
The two-day event sought to explore the role of women in the cocoa value chain and assess their environmental conservation practices in cocoa-producing areas.
According to the organisers, the engagement served as a platform to better understand the contributions of women farmers to cocoa production and to spotlight the challenges they face, particularly in accessing training, funding, market linkages, and policy inclusion.
The AWITA’s cocoa cluster members at the meeting highlighted their involvement across all stages of cocoa farming, ranging from planting to post-harvest processing, while stressing the need for support in addressing rising production costs, environmental sustainability, and limited access to formal structures for agricultural aid.
They also called for training in modern cocoa farming techniques and increased access to markets, in addition to inclusion in decision-making processes in cocoa development initiatives, including the African Cocoa Agenda 2063.
Representing the dRPC, the Head of Research and Analysis, Kareem Abdulrazak, noted that the Cocoa Agenda 2063 offered significant potential to uplift women farmers by integrating them into long-term strategies for agricultural transformation.
He explained that the initiative, adopted by African heads of state in 2013, was a 50-year commitment designed to reposition Africa as a global powerhouse through sustained investment in key sectors such as agriculture.
AWITA’s National President, Ruth Agbo, commended women across the country for their continued contributions to the economy and reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to strengthening the role of women in trade and agriculture through partnerships with civil society and development organisations.
As part of the visit, the delegation also met with the Permanent Secretary of the Ondo State Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Tunde Daramola, and other senior ministry officials to brief them on the engagement and advocate for increased investment in the cocoa value chain, especially for women-led initiatives.
The African Cocoa Agenda 2063 forms part of the broader African Union Agenda 2063 – a strategic vision to drive inclusive growth and development across the continent.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.