With the celebration of Farmers’ Day last week we reflect on the extraordinary contributions of the people who feed our homes, sustain our markets, and anchor our economies.
Yet behind the celebrations lies a difficult truth: farmers — particularly women, who make up the majority of Africa’s agricultural labour force — remain among the least recognised and least supported actors in national development.
If Africa is to rise to its full promise, this day must serve not only as a celebration but as a call to action.
The continent’s prosperity depends on empowering those whose hands cultivate the land and sustain our food systems.
The agricultural sector employs more than 60 per cent of Africa’s workforce and contributes up to a third of the continent’s GDP.
This means that the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is directly linked to the productivity and empowerment of farmers.
Women, who account for as much as 70 per cent of informal cross-border traders in Africa, play a vital role in facilitating regional commerce.
They move food, goods and services across borders every day, powering value chains that sustain communities and feed cities.
Yet restrictive policies, limited access to capital, low mechanisation, poor infrastructure, and outdated skills systems continue to limit their potential. AfCFTA provides an opportunity to change this — but only if farmers and women are placed at the centre of its implementation.
Transforming skills
The Africa Education Trust Fund (AETF) recognises that meaningful transformation cannot occur on the back of an outdated education system. Farmers need modern skills: climate-smart agriculture, digital tools, value-chain management, agro-processing and biotechnology.
Research shows that improving education and technical knowledge can increase farm productivity by up to 40 per cent, validating AETF’s approach as a strategic driver of economic transformation.
The Private Sector Bill of Rights (PSBoR) confronts the structural barriers that suppress innovation and productivity. Farmers and women do not need charity — they need fairness, predictability, and justice.
Access to finance remains one of the greatest constraints for African SMEs, especially women-led agribusinesses.
The PSBoR strengthens investor confidence and establishes the enabling environment required for agribusiness development, scaling, and rural transformation.
Practical model
Ghana’s emerging 24-hour economy initiative demonstrates how agricultural productivity, women’s enterprise, and AfCFTA-driven trade can be integrated to generate jobs, stabilise markets, and expand national output.
A functional 24-hour economy is not simply about working longer hours — it is about continuous value-chain efficiency, round-the-clock logistics, and eliminating outdated bottlenecks.
The benefits to farmers are enormous. It will lead to reduced post-harvest losses through night and early-morning transport.
The 24-hour agro-processing centres will increase value-addition, while there will be continuous access to storage, warehousing, and cold-chain facilities, as well as expanded regional trade opportunities under AfCFTA Women traders are going to benefit too.
There will be safer and more reliable trading conditions, extended business hours and higher income. in addition to improved logistics and access to regional value chains.
Africa’s future will not be determined in negotiation rooms alone.
It will be shaped in farmlands, rural markets, cross-border routes, agro-processing zones, and by the hands of women and youth who sustain our economic foundation.
On this Farmers’ Day, let us honour them not just with words, but through decisive action. Empowering farmers and women is not only morally right — it is the surest path to unlocking AfCFTA’s promise, achieving Agenda 2063, and securing Africa’s place in the global economy.
The writer is a Ghanaian-Liberian, former Chairman of the African Private Sector Summit and Senior Advisor to the Africa Education Trust Fund
