40 Rural Women Get Business Management Training

An eight-day training of trainers’ workshop started on Saturday at the Ministry of Gender and Development sub office in Gbarnga city, Bong County.

The participants who were selected from three Counties including, Lofa, Nimba and host Bong Counties, will benefit from a special training in Business Management and Marketing for Agro Processing.

Speaking at the formal opening ceremony, Lasana Wonneh the DHP Coordinator and Livelihoods Advisor of the World Food Programme or WFP Monrovia office, said the main focus of WFP in this programme, is to create a link between the farming activities of the Rural Women and the various markets throughout the country.

This is intended to insure that the rural women benefit greatly from their labor. He assured participants that with the level of value added to their respective farm to market activities through the training, WFP and other stake holders will purchase their products so as to afford them the opportunity of getting the actual fruit of their labor.

Wonneh disclosed that the United Nations’ World Food Agency intends to make Liberian Women benefit from their activities in a way to make them become producers of Vegetable and Rice for world-wide purchase.

Declaring the workshop officially open, the Ministry of Gender and Development project Coordinator of UN joint programme on food security and nutrition Emmet Crayton, said the workshop is a catalyst for 40 rural women to acquire a training that is intended to enable them train other women of their towns and villages the fundamentals of business Management and Marketing for Agro Processing.

Crayton urged participants to take advantage of the eight day event, noting that “the resource materials are good and are appropriately packaged just for them so that they can clearly understand and take in what they are being taught.” He believes there would be a positive change in the lives of the beneficiaries at the end of the workshop.

The participants, through Annie Lavlah of Nimba County, hope that materials packaged for them will make them Business Managers and focus Marketers for Agro Processing. The eight day training of trainers for Rural Women in Business Management and Marketing for Agro Processing is funded by the Danish Agency for Nutrition and International Development Aid or DANIDA in the tune of US $31,000.00.

It is being implemented by the Ministry of Gender and Development or MOGD in collaboration with the World Food Programme or WFP and supported by the Ministry of Agriculture or MOA, United Nations Development Programme or UNDP, Food and Agriculture Organization or FAO and United Nations International Funds or UNIFEM.