Submitted by Olufolakemi Anjorin on Mon, 24/07/2017 - 23:00 Permalink
Not certain if AfDB has implemented specific programmes to address gender gaps. However, there is renewed effort by the bank to address gender issue, a course which is being vigorously pursued. The bank is trying to identify bankable projects in the agriculture value chain to invest in. A number of the recently launched initiatives have a gender focus
Submitted by Olufolakemi Anjorin on Mon, 24/07/2017 - 22:57 Permalink
Poor data system constitutes one of the challenges of financing in agriculture as a whole. The problem is more pronounced for women because often time it is difficult to estimate what their contribution is. Often time women farm on land not owned by them, they lack ability to determine in clear statistical terms what their production level is, for instance how many tonnes of produce they generate. Many women are more likely to sell their produce at a lower value to attend to immediate reproductive or family needs. Also, within the context of Africa, there are deeply entrenched issues of lack of proper accounting system, which constitute some level of barriers t commercial financing.
Submitted by Olufolakemi Anjorin on Mon, 10/07/2017 - 04:19 Permalink
Nice example of an attempt to support women in agribusiness. I hope that women in agribusiness are taking advantage of the incentive. A lot of time the opportunities are available, but businesses are not prepared to take advantage of the opportunities because they cannot meet a lot of the requirements. I was in a meeting last week where we had panel session to understand how women can take advantage of micro-finance opportunities. One key take home for me is that when working with women group, it is good to mentor them in the area of developing competitive business profiles so they are well positioned to take advantage of opportunities.
Submitted by Olufolakemi Anjorin on Mon, 10/07/2017 - 03:46 Permalink
Nice post Demba, I like your use of inforgraphics in the discussion thread. It makes the perspectives clear for me.
Thank you for sharing the success of the WAAPP and it may be a good idea for AfDB to take a close look at WAAPP for key lesson learned that can be adapted or scaled up. You indicated that about 40% of beneficiaries are expected to be women, wondering if this expectation was met and if it was, in what key areas women benefited, for instance it will be good to know if they were trained on the use of improved technologies made available through the project.
Women cluster, long-term financial security-inclusive approach
Submitted by Olufolakemi Anjorin on Tue, 25/07/2017 - 01:19 Permalink
Women clusters are still the best entry point to providing agriculture financing to women. This will rely on a trustworthy approach that women can rely on and an approach that is sustainable.
In addition there is a need to design long-term financial security system for women. For instance can we begin to think of a pension scheme for women in agriculture where pension fund administrators help women to estimate the level of savings they can put aside for latter years? How about insurance scheme that can serve as a back-up in case of loss of agricultural produce from event such like flooding or other effect of climate change. AfDB consideration for some of these key issues will represent what can be described as includive approach for financing agriculture with a gender focus