Banjul North NAM Says Women Hold the Key to Africa’s Food Future

Written by: Dawda Baldeh

African governments must place women at the centre of food systems if the continent is to achieve sustainable food security, create jobs and drive economic growth, National Assembly Member for Banjul North, Modou Lamin B. Bah, has said.

Speaking during a thematic plenary at the Africa Food Systems Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, under the theme “Cultivating Equality, Harvesting Growth in Food Systems,” Bah said Africa cannot transform its food systems without addressing gender inequality.

“You cannot fix Africa’s food systems without fixing equality for women,” he said.

Bah said women produce a significant share of Africa’s food and play major roles in processing, trading and feeding families. Despite their contribution, he said they continue to face serious barriers to land ownership, finance, technology, markets and decision-making.

“Equality is still treated as a women’s issue. It’s not. It’s a growth issue,” Bah said.

He said women own less than 20 percent of farmland and receive less than 10 percent of agricultural credit, limiting their ability to invest, increase production and expand their businesses.

Bah called for greater access to irrigation, storage facilities, digital information and agricultural technology, arguing that women must have equal opportunities across the food value chain.

He also urged African governments to introduce stronger laws and dedicate more resources to supporting women farmers, including joint land titling and funding for women-led cooperatives.

“We need finance that fits women, patient capital, insurance and input support, while connecting women’s groups to regional markets,” he said.

Bah further called for investment in solar dryers, processing equipment and agricultural extension services in local languages. He also advocated greater recognition of women’s unpaid care work through investments in water, childcare and energy.

He said governments should move beyond simply expecting women to be “resilient to crisis” and instead place them at the centre of efforts to solve Africa’s food challenges.

“Women are not the future of food systems. Women are the present,” Bah declared.