A research on gender and women empowerment in agrofood system governance carried out by APRNet team of researchers has been launched at a Nigerian Agrofood System stakeholders policy dialogue in Abuja on 6th December, 2023. 

The report , titled :‘Women’s Empowerment in Agrifood Governance (WEAGov) Assessment Framework: Pilot Study in Nigeria’ states that gender attention in the major agriculture sector policy particularly the National Agricultural Technology and Innovation Policy was weak.

The assessment was carried out by researchers at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) including Catherine Ragasa, Jordan Kyle, Anthony Onoja, Anthonia Achike and Stella Adejoh. Other co-authors are Chinasa Onyenekwe, Gbenga Koledoye, Gloria Ujor and Nkechi Okafor-Nwali.

The study assesses the state of women’s voice and agency in national policymaking in the agrifood sector, noting that though consultations are often conducted during policy formulation, local experts perceived few opportunities for ordinary citizens to provide input into agrifood policy formulation and even more limited opportunities for women to do so.