The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa(AGRA) has opened applications for the 2023 women agripreneurs of the year awards (WAYA) to recognize African women who have made remarkable efforts to the agricultural value chains by contributing positively towards food security, climate resilience, and women and youth empowerment.
The VALUE4HER awards are set to popularize successful women and promote them as possible role models, trigger innovation and spur ambition among women agripreneurs.
There are three categories of the awards including the young female agripreneur award for recognizing young females below 35 years of age demonstrating innovation and leadership in agribusiness, the female ag-tech innovator award for recognizing female agripreneurs championing technological advancement in agribusiness, and outstanding value-adding enterprise award also for recognising female agriprenuers championing technological advancement is the sector.
The winners will each receive a cash prize of up to USD 20,000 at the upcoming African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) summit in September 2023.
To be eligible for WAYA, businesses must be operating in an agriculture or agribusiness value chain, be a legal entity registered in a country that is a member state of the African Union, and at least 51% owned and managed by one or more women who are citizens of one of the 55 African countries.
Speaking at the launch event, AGRA’s Vice President for Strategic Partnerships & Chief of Party, Vanessa Adams said: “Women’s participation and recognition in this agriculture sector has been historically overlooked. That’s why we believe it’s essential to shine a spotlight on women who are making a significant contribution to the agricultural industry through their innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship. By recognizing the undeniable contribution of women to African food systems, we hope to inspire and encourage more women to pursue careers in the agricultural sector”.
Applications are to be submitted online through this link before May 31, 2023.
