Follow Us on Google
From Sola Ojo, Abuja
In a groundbreaking move, the Leading African Women in Food Fellowship (LAWFF) has announced its 2025 cohort of 32 outstanding women agripreneurs from 11 African countries.
Since 2019, LAWFF has impacted over 4,350 young entrepreneurs across the agriculture value chain.
This year’s cohort is the largest yet, with 32 women selected from a pool of 1,154 nominations, they would leverage the fellowship’s training, mentorship, and alumni support to build a sustainable and inclusive food ecosystem.
Program Lead, LAWFF, Adanna Imadfidor, in a statement said, “For over 10,000 years, women have been the backbone of agriculture, not just as labourers but as innovators, market influencers, and climate strategists (FAO, 2011). Yet, their economic and strategic power remains underutilized due to systemic barriers such as restricted land ownership, policy-making exclusion, and limited capital access (World Bank, 2021).
“The Leading African Women in Food Fellowship (LAWFF) is not just amplifying women’s voices—it is a strategic intervention to reshape the future of Africa’s food economy. By equipping women with tools, networks, and visibility, LAWFF ensures they are not seen as beneficiaries but as key architects of food security, economic resilience, and innovation.
“As a part of this mission, LAWFF is excited to announce the 2025 cohort and the launch of the Leading AgriWomen Voices (LAV) Book, a groundbreaking publication amplifying the narratives of African women shaping the food ecosystem.
“Beyond the field, women’s contributions to agriculture extend far beyond smallholder farming. They play critical roles as agricultural economists, innovators, and climate strategists, shaping markets, pioneering sustainable practices, and leading adaptation efforts (UN Women, 2023; FAO, 2011; World Bank, 2021). However, financial exclusion, outdated policies, and lack of representation in leadership spaces often undermine their ability to drive large-scale transformation.
“So empowering women in agriculture is not just about equity—it is an economic necessity. Equal access to resources could increase global agricultural output by 30%, feeding an additional 150 million people (FAO, 2011). However, financial institutions and policymakers continue to marginalize them”.
To correct this imbalance, she noted that “it is essential to develop gender-first agricultural policies that ensure female-led land ownership, targeted financing, and market integration (UN Women, 2023), break funding barriers by moving beyond microloans to high-capital investments for women-led agribusinesses (World Bank, 2021) among others.
On LAWFF’s Impact and 2025 Cohort announcement she said, in 2023, LAWFF selected 25 fellows from 640 nominations across 12 African countries, providing expert-led training, mentorship, and networking opportunities for them.
“Fellows gained global recognition through speaking engagements and media features. In 2024, LAWFF expanded to 30 fellows from 639 nominations across 10 countries.
“The program included targeted mentorship, a close-out event at the AGRF Summit in Rwanda, and the launch of an Alumni Network to sustain impact and collaboration.
“In 2025, LAWFF awarded fellowships to 32 more outstanding women agripreneurs from across 11 African countries. Out of 1,154 nominations, these women will leverage the fellowship’s training, mentorship, and alumni support to build a sustainable and inclusive food ecosystem, showcasing the diversity and brilliance of African women”, she narrated.
