Benguela – The US Agency for International Development (USAID) launched Thursday, in Benguela province, the expansion phase of the Project to Support Women in Agriculture in Angola, which will allow it to reach 20,000 beneficiaries.
The project aims to empower rural women farmers to be technically and commercially successful, increasing productivity and connecting them to large buyers, in addition to removing economic, social and cultural barriers.
Until now, the project covered 6 provinces, namely Cuanza-Sul, Huíla, Cuanza-Norte, Luanda, Malanje and Namibe, with 6,000 beneficiaries, being implemented by the NGO Ajuda de Povo para Povo (ADPP/Angola).
This new phase budgeted at 5 million US dollars will benefit women farmers from the provinces of Benguela, Huambo and Bié, located along the Lobito Corridor, in addition to Cuando Cubango.
With this initiative, USAID and partners (ExxonMobile, Azule Energy and Grupo Simples) intend to ensure that investments in the Lobito Corridor support Angola's main development objective and economic diversification to attract private investments to the region.
The Women Farmer Support Project is a public-private partnership that empowers rural communities to increase their livelihoods and food security,turning beneficiaries into leaders in the sector.
According to USAID administrator, Samantha Power, despite having abundant fertile land and abundant water resources, Angola imports more than half of its food needs, at an annual cost of around 3 billion US dollars, a situation that needs to be reversed.
The official welcomed the efforts of the Angolan government to reverse this situation, focusing on increasing domestic production and gradually reducing imports.
Power Angola is on a new path, with the rehabilitation of the Lobito Railway and its connection to Zambia, which will result in the first trans-African railway line that has the potential to reverse this context.
The US official underscored that the initiative is way more than railway lines, as it will connect farmers with markets where they can sell their products, as well as expanding access to inputs such as fertilizers, improved seeds and equipment for the agricultural sector.
Samantha Power said that USAID has created partnerships with local NGOs to launch an Agricultural Technical Institute, to train farmers, mainly women, aiming to increase skills and techniques, resulting in increased production.
CRB/CF/AMP
