SheTrades West Africa Project funded by the Korea International Corporation Agency (KOICA) and implemented by the International Trade Centre has ended a three-day training from the 19th– 21st May 2021 for staff of Produce Monitoring Board on gender and cashew. The training was held at the Royal Hotel in Makeni.
Key objectives of the training were as follows;
Support Produce Monitoring Board (PMB) to mainstream gender equality in its work
Understand gender concepts clearly and relate them to daily lives and how men and women act in society.
Understand the effects of gender dynamics on agricultural production and the development of farming.
Giving a background to SheTrades West Africa Project, the National Coordinator SheTrades West Africa Project Khadijatu Barrie said SheTrades West Africa is operating in four countries in Africa; Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d’Ivoire. She said the general aim of the Project for the four countries is to improve the livelihoods of 10,000 (ten thousand) women farmers across different value chains. She added that for Sierra Leone 2, 500 women farmers including processors, traders and exporters in the cashew value chain are expected to benefit from this project.
Madam Barrie said some of the selection criteria for a beneficiary include; The woman farmer should have 10 acres of land, a database of farmers and must have been in cashew farming for a couple of years.
She added that the training will enable the extension service officers of PMB to be more sensitive in gender inclusivity towards farmers, processors and traders.
According to the Director of Produce Monitoring Board (PMB) Didan Sankoh, PMB is grateful for such training and will ensure the skills acquired be incorporated in their areas of operations. He added that the International Trade Centre has been always supportive to PMB in providing pieces of training to the staff and farmers in improving the Cashew, Cocoa and Coffee sectors. He assured SheTrade West Africa that PMB will be working in close collaboration with them to ensure the monitoring and evaluation tools adapted be properly implemented for the development of the cashew sector.