Economic Empowerment
Source: Vanguard
The Director of the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD), Dr. Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg, has said that the continent cannot afford to neglect women scientists in its plan of achieving food sufficiency.
She decried the attitude of seeing African Women role in agriculture from the narrow view of women farmers in the villages, forgetting the multitude of women scientists and researchers in agriculture in the continent.
Speaking ahead of the opening of the African Green Revolution Forum in Lusaka, Zambia Tuesday, Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg said for the continent to increase production and feed itself successfully that it must harness all the resources at its disposal be it women or men. "Why will Africa continue to play with its second team alone when we have women scientists? As a continent, we need to play with our full team that includes the women for us to develop agriculture."
Wanjiru added that the question is how to unlock the challenges facing the continent which requires the unity of purpose between the men and women in feeding the continent. She said AWARD is about unlocking the potentials in women scientists that will change the agricultural research and development sector and "most importantly, transforming the face and reality of agriculture in Africa."
AWARD, according to her, provides fellowships to strengthen the research and leadership skills of top women agricultural scientists across sub-Saharan African. "465 African women scientists have participated in the program since 2008, from Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Zambia among others."
For Rhoda Mukuka, an AWARD fellow for 2011 said the program has provided her and other fellows the opportunities to excel and increase their visibilities through opportunities they have been provided. Rhoda was mentored and had mentored others said "each fellow is matched with a mentor, a respected male or female scientist in her area of expertise.
"She attends a Mentoring Orientation Workshop with her mentor where they contract their goals for their year of working together. After her year of being mentored, the fellow takes on a junior scientist as her own mentee."