African Resource Group – Cameroon Ltd, with material support from SOWEDA, Buea organized a capacity-building workshop on 22 October, 2024 in commemoration of the 2024 International Rural Women’s Day which in Cameroon had as theme “Rural Women and Import Substitution: Opportunities and Challenges”. The workshop aimed to train rural women on methods of improving their agricultural yields using low-cost organic farming techniques geared towards
climate change mitigation; train rural women on climate-smart agriculture, and empower rural women by fostering a sense of unity and solidarity among women and allies. The workshop also aimed at celebrating the achievements of rural women across various sectors; raise awareness on gender equality and women’s rights; and elaborate ways of reducing the cost of living for rural women in Cameroon via ARG-CAM’s “EmpowerHer” Programme.
In attendance were several rural women farmer group leaders from Bova village within Buea Sub-Division; as well as the Quarter Head of Bova 2 who represented the Chief of Bova Village. Overall, the meeting was attended by 20 people including the staff of ARG-CAM Ltd and representatives from the Divisional delegation of Youth affairs and Civic Education for the South West Region . The List of workshop participants is on annex 2.
The Manager of African Resource Group, Mr. Edmund Linonge Njoh presented the overall objectives of the workshop; while highlighting the work of ARG-Cam Ltd via its “EmpowerHer” Programme in empowering rural women in a range of areas through skills development; networking; and also supporting policy reforms that enhance their economic and politicalparticipation. He elaborated on the importance of the International rural women’s day as an opportunity for rural women to come together to assess their agricultural activities and other aspects concerning their communities; and network to sustainably plan their future and gain knowledge and skills to improve on their agricultural and agribusiness activities; as well as the
overall development of their rural communities. Finally, he acknowledged the material support received from SOWEDA, Buea and then gave an outline of the objectives of ARG-CAM’s “EmpowerHer” programme and the expected outcomes of the workshop.
The “EmpowerHer” programme objectives include the following:
1. Empower women and young girls via capacity building and skills development to
stimulate their economic, social and political development.
2. Celebrate the achievements of women across various sectors.
3. Raise awareness about gender equality and women’s rights.
4. Foster a sense of unity and solidarity among women and allies.
5. Inspire action towards creating a more inclusive and equitable society.
