In its agriculture and gender empowerment objectives, the NEPAD Agency works to support policies and programmes that ensure that African women, most of whom bear the brunt of under-development, are not further affected by the consequences of climate change.

NEPAD recently held a two-day technical workshop in Niamey, the capital of Niger, on validating a study on Gender, Climate Change and Agriculture.

The workshop was  held in partnership with the Government led 3N initiative – Nigeriens Nourish Nigeriens – aimed at improving production and securing livelihoods, particularly in rural areas through a bottom up, grass roots planning approach, with a high level of political commitment, and a focus on women and small holder farmers.

Under the auspices of NEPAD’s Gender Climate Change Agriculture Support Programme (GCCASP) and support from the Norwegian Agency for Development (NORAD), the workshop’s objective was produce a plan of support to the Government of Niger for a national programme on supporting small-holder women farmers to address the challenges posed by climate change in the agricultural sector.

The GCCASP Programme which is currently in an inception phase and will fully take off in 2015 in Rwanda, Niger, Malawi, Ethiopia and Cameroon. The number of countries will increase as more resources become available. 

NEPAD’s Special Assistant to the CEO, Mr Ibrahim Gourouza Magagi spoke of the need for more coordination of actors on the ground for better results.

 “This being the Year of Agriculture, it is worth noting that Agriculture has been placed at the centre of Africa’s Development. During the African Union Summit in Malabo, It was among other things highlighted that efforts should be put on Family Farming and on Agro-Industries. African farmers should transform their produce. NEPAD under the Gender Climate Change Agriculture Support Programme is an initiative that will support such efforts, “said Mr Magagi.