AGRA rallies partners to advance women’s leadership in agriculture during Women’s Month

Speaking during a press briefing held Thursday evening in Kigali, AGRA, together with Equity Bank Rwanda and Lead Access, outlined plans for the National Workshop in Celebration of International Women’s Day 2026, scheduled for 25 March at the Kigali Convention Center.
The initiative, held under the theme “Give to Gain through Advancing Women’s Leadership, Market Access and Financial Inclusion in Horticulture Value Chains,” will bring together policymakers, financial institutions, agribusiness leaders and women entrepreneurs to accelerate women’s economic empowerment in agriculture.

The initiative is being implemented in collaboration with a broad coalition of partners including the Mastercard Foundation, UN Women, the Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD), Business Professionals Network (BPN), CARE Rwanda, SNV, World Food Programme (WFP), AFR, and ESP, among others, reflecting a growing multi-stakeholder commitment to strengthening women’s role in agri-food systems.

Positioning women at the center of agri-food transformation

Rwanda’s agriculture sector remains a pillar of the economy, contributing about 25 percent of GDP and employing nearly 69 percent of the population. Women make up the majority of the agricultural labor force, yet their presence in leadership roles and structured markets remains limited.

AGRA Rwanda Country Director Jean Paul Ndagijimana said the organization has broadened its approach from focusing solely on productivity to strengthening the entire agri-food system.

“We started with agriculture only looking at productivity, then we said agriculture is bigger than just producing,” Ndagijimana said. “Today we are focusing on the agri-food system, and we are calling on women, especially young women, to consider opportunities across the value chain—from production and trade to processing and market engagement.”

He noted that AGRA has committed to creating 132,000 jobs in agriculture over the next five years, with 70 percent targeted at young women.
“Agriculture offers opportunities in at least five different areas of the value chain. We want young women to see the sector not only as farming, but as a dynamic ecosystem where they can build careers and businesses,” he added.

Expanding access to finance and markets

Equity Bank Rwanda emphasized that financial inclusion will be critical in enabling women entrepreneurs to scale their agribusinesses.
Equity Bank Rwanda Managing Director Hannington Namara highlighted the importance of partnerships in driving inclusive economic transformation.

“Equity Bank is a vehicle for transformation and giving people livelihoods,” Namara said. “Because of our vision and mission, we get excited when we see partners joining hands to make this journey easier and deliver results faster.”

“We know we do not have the power or resources to change the world alone, which is why we are very happy to work together with partners like AGRA and Lead Access,” he added. “By working together we can achieve much more.”

The bank’s social impact arm is also supporting programs designed to equip women entrepreneurs with financial skills and access to credit.
Loyce Bamwine, Director of Social Impact and Investment at Equity Bank Rwanda, said the Women’s Month activities are part of broader efforts to empower women and youth economically.

“Championing this initiative in partnership with different stakeholders is a privilege for us,” Babmwe said. “Beyond banking, we approach this from a social impact perspective. Through Equity Foundation Rwanda we design innovative programs that transform lives and livelihoods.”

She explained that the bank supports women through financial literacy training, entrepreneurship development and tailored financial products.
“Our focus is inclusion—helping women move from one level to another by giving them access to finance and working with partners to provide de-risking mechanisms that make loans more accessible,” she said.
Building a strong ecosystem for women agripreneurs
Lead Access CEO Iris Irumva underscored the importance of collective action in advancing women’s leadership in agriculture and other sectors.

“We know that institutions like AGRA and Equity are supporting women, but we also recognise that progress requires allies,” Irumva said. “As women, we cannot do this alone—we need the ‘He-for-She’ champions and partners who stand with us.”
She praised AGRA’s continued collaboration in promoting women’s participation in agriculture.
“AGRA has been a pillar in this journey. This is the third year we are partnering with them, and we are grateful for the impact this collaboration continues to create,” she said.

Irumva noted that the initiative is helping shift perceptions among young women about careers in agriculture.
“Many young women used to see agriculture as unattractive, but today we talk about it as ‘ag-tractive.’ We are seeing more women entrepreneurs entering the sector and being recognized for their innovation and leadership,” she added.

Women’s Day celebrations and national engagement

As part of the Women’s Month activities, partners also announced that International Women’s Day on 8 March will be marked through participation in Kigali’s bi-monthly Car Free Day, where stakeholders will deliver messages aligned with this year’s global theme on women’s empowerment and gender equality.

The event will provide an opportunity to raise awareness on the importance of women’s leadership in agriculture and economic development while engaging the public through sports and community participation.

A national platform for action

The March 25 workshop will serve as a national platform to strengthen coordination among government, financial institutions, development partners and private sector actors. Participants will include young women agripreneurs aged 18–35, investors, export agencies, and agribusiness leaders engaged in horticulture value chains such as production, aggregation, processing and export.
The event will feature policy dialogue, mentorship sessions, enterprise exhibitions and business matchmaking opportunities linking women entrepreneurs with buyers and financial institutions.

Organizers say the workshop will also conclude with a Women in Agri-Food Systems Commitment Moment, where stakeholders—including development partners and financial institutions—will announce concrete actions to support women-led enterprises and expand their access to markets and finance.

By positioning women as leaders across the agri-food value chain, AGRA and its partners aim to strengthen Rwanda’s agricultural competitiveness while ensuring that the sector’s transformation remains inclusive and sustainable.