Marilyn Perumal – Platinum Health – pic001 Diversity is crucial to developing technologies that work for similarly diverse communities, and women’s innate empathy positions them to deliver at the nexus where technology meets healthcare. Innovation is changing how medical schemes support mineworkers and their families, and there is growing recognition of the importance of diversity ...

Women are increasingly taking the lead in conservation, livestock farming and sustainable land management across South Africa’s communal rangelands, demonstrating how rural communities can combine agricultural production with environmental stewardship. As South Africa marks National Women’s Day on 9 August, the contribution of rural women to agriculture and conservation is receiving renewed attention. Their growing ...

Women cotton farmers in southern Malawi are proving that agriculture can be a powerful driver of economic empowerment by turning seasonal cotton earnings into year-round businesses that support their families, create employment and strengthen local economies. Through collective farming, financial discipline and business diversification, members of the Mkuyu Women’s Group in Mangochi District are using ...

Across Nigeria, a quiet but powerful transformation is unfolding in the agricultural sector as more women step into roles traditionally dominated by men. From poultry farming to crop production and agribusiness, women—many of them educated and entrepreneurial—are not only participating but excelling, reshaping the future of agriculture in the country. For many, the journey into ...

A major new initiative led by Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research is empowering more than 100 African women scientists to lead climate action in agriculture, strengthening resilience across the continent’s food systems. The program, funded through the Africa-Australia Partnership for Climate Responsive Agriculture, aims to extend its impact beyond research institutions and into the ...

A recent initiative led by the European Union in Zambia is helping to address one of agriculture’s biggest barriers—limited access to finance for women. The “Boosting Women in Agribusiness (WomeninAg)” Pitch Night, held in Lusaka, brought together entrepreneurs, investors, and industry stakeholders to unlock new opportunities for women-led agribusinesses. Why Closing the Gender Finance Gap ...

Despite women making up the majority of the agricultural workforce in sub-Saharan Africa, their representation in agricultural research leadership remains significantly low. A new initiative aims to change that by empowering women scientists and strengthening institutional support systems across the continent. According to the Status of Women in Agrifood Systems in sub-Saharan Africa, women account ...

OCP Group has reinforced its commitment to strengthening Africa’s food systems by supporting women farmers, placing their role at the center of agricultural transformation during a high-level United Nations event. Spotlight on Women  The event, held at the United Nations headquarters in New York, took place alongside the 70th session of the Commission on the ...

Graça Machel, the former first lady of Mozambique and founder of the Graca Machel Trust, spoke during the International Women’s Day celebrations in Maputo, Mozambique, on 9 March 2026. Photo: Supplied Women across Africa’s agricultural sector were celebrated during the launch of the 2026 Women Agripreneurs of the Year Awards, highlighting the growing role of ...

Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Iman Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Iman Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening women’s economic participation in agriculture through the Renewed Hope Women Agro-Value Expansion (WAVE) programme. The minister made this known during a working visit to the International Institute ...