Africa Food Systems Forum 2024

The Global Solutions Initiative convened a side event, Gender Responsive Approaches Driving Food Transformation, with partners African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD), CABI and Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition at the AFS Forum 2024 on September 2 in Kigali to discuss critical enablers for building a conducive policy ecosystem and demonstrated best practices on advancing female leadership around food and agriculture in Africa.
The session highlighted persistent gender disparities in Sub-Saharan Africa’s agrifood systems, emphasizing the need for transformative, inclusive policies. Speakers stressed the importance of supporting women in science education, leadership, and entrepreneurship, while addressing barriers like unpaid care work and limited market access. Calls were made for data-driven interventions, localized policy implementation, and youth engagement to build resilience and social capital. Initiatives such as childcare support during training and leveraging e-commerce were proposed to empower women agripreneurs. The overarching message was clear: gender equality in agrifood systems is not only a development issue but a critical economic imperative.