Global Affairs Canada in partnership with the Agrihouse Foundation for the sixth time will award the contribution of women and Persons With Disabilities (PWD) to agriculture development in Ghana. A statement released by Global Affairs Canada said the Award would be done through the Women in Food and Agricultural Leadership Training Forum (WOFAGRIC) and Gold in the Soil Awards. The ceremony, according to the release, would be on the 9th to 10th July 2024 at the Sunyani Technical University in the Bono Region with the aim of continuously advancing and empowering women and PWD farmers and those within the entire agricultural value chain in Ghana. Madam Candace Holt, the Second Secretary of Development for Global Affairs Canada, emphasised how the continuous support for Agrihouse Foundation's WOFAGRIC awards aligned with its Feminist International Assistance Policy, which recognised women's full achievements of economic potentials within the agricultural sector. 'We believe that women are critical to the sust ainability and growth of Ghana's agriculture sector and the WOFAGRIC and Gold in the Soil Awards provide a crucial platform to recognize and celebrate women farmers and those with disabilities who have overcome challenges and made significant contributions to Ghana's development and that is what Global Affairs Canada is about,' she said. She highlighted how the partnership impacted Ghana's agricultural sector by promoting an increased self-reliance among women and PWDs; enabling them to achieve higher levels of financial autonomy, invest in land, expand agro-processing activities, and sustain their families. That, she explained, contributed to the advancement of the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, which seeks to promote gender equality by addressing barriers to women's economic empowerment. Madam Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, the Executive Director of Agrihouse Foundation, expressed profound gratitude for Global Affairs Canada's continuous partnership over the past six years. She said the collaborati on had been 'instrumental in advancing the status of women in agriculture in Ghana, through the WOFAGRIC and The Gold in The Soil Awards and created opportunities for women to thrive in agriculture, contributing to Ghana's economic growth and advancing gender equality.' The upcoming two-day event would be held under theme: 'Overcoming the Barriers to Women Agribusiness Development: The Role of Stakeholders', and would feature over six hundred women farmers, processors, agricultural entrepreneurs, famers with disability and women across the entire agricultural value chain. The Gold in the Soil Awards spans seventeen categories with each designed to honour and showcase the achievements of women in various facets of agriculture. The categories include the Super Woman Farmer Award, Passion for Farm Award, Outstanding Woman in Extension Services Award, Royal Agro Award, Diamond in the Rough Award, Feed to Food Awards, Change Champion Awards. Others would include She Innovates Award, Climate-Smart Women Project Award, Lady of The Region Export Award, Star Woman Agripreneur Award, the ultimate Gold in the Soil Award and the newly introduced Agri-Input Saleswoman of the Year category and the Supportive Agri-Man Award. Source: Ghana News Agency