By Ishmael Bayoh
Delivering the keynote address on the theme, ‘Empowering Women and Youth in Agriculture Value Chains’ at the side event Co- moderated by UN Women and Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS) at the Africa Food Systems Forum 2025 in Dakar, Minister of State in the Office of the Vice President, Hon. Manty Tarawalli,
shared four key pathways to empower women and youth in agriculture.
She was speaking from her experiences as the National Food Systems Convenor, as a former Minister of Gender, who championed the passage of the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act; and as the former Executive Director of Marie Stopes Sierra Leone, dedicated to empowering women and young people.
She said across Africa, women make up nearly half of the agricultural workforce, yet are less likely than men to own land, access credit, or benefit from extension services. “If women had the same access to resources, agricultural output could rise by up to 30%, reducing hunger for 150 million people. And because Africa is the youngest continent in the world — by 2050, our youth population will nearly double. This is our greatest opportunity if we invest in their talent, energy, and innovation, they will drive the transformation of Africa’s food systems” she stated.
Drawing evidences from across the world and that of Sierra Leone on Gender-Responsive Policy and Legal Frameworks, Minister Manty recalled in 2022 when Sierra Leone passed the landmark Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Act, guaranteeing 30% representation for women in leadership and strengthening access to finance.
“The implementation of this Act has already led to a substantial increase in the number of female lawmakers, more than doubling the previous parliamentary representation. And today, Sierra Leone has more young ministers and more female ministers in Cabinet than ever before”.
Highlighting the Inclusive Food System Models on the Feed Salone flagship initiative which is transforming agriculture from subsistence to agribusiness in Sierra Leone, she revealed that in its first year, it achieved a 35% increase in rice production, moving the country towards 72% self-sufficiency.
In building future leaders in agriculture, Sierra Leone has launched the Sierra Leone Youth Institute with the World Food Prize Foundation. Twenty high school students became the first Borlaug Scholars, presenting bold ideas to tackle global food security.
Speaking on financing and scaling innovative models, she stressed the need for dedicated facilities for women and youth agripreneurs as Agriculture Credit Facility already offers loans at 10% interest — far below market rates of 30–35%.
Sierra Leone being the pilot country in IOFS–UN Women partnership, and as Co-Chair of the global Alliance of Champions for Food Systems Transformation, she reaffirmed government commitment to gender equality, youth empowerment, and food systems transformation.