Malawian woman wins agribusiness award in Ghana
Victoria Mwafulirwa, a Malawian agribusinessperson based in Karonga received the Business Diversification of the Year Award during an Africa-themed glitz and glamour Women in Agribusiness Awards in Accra, Ghana at the weekend.
Mwafulirwa, owner of Homes Industries Ltd, works with over 1 500 smallholder farmers in an out-grower scheme that grows sunflowers, rice and groundnuts.
Her company manufactures cold pressed sunflower oil, peanut flour (nsinjiro), and peanut butter. Homes Industries Ltd also processes and packages brown and regular white Kilombero rice.
The award, according to Mwafulirwa, is of great significance to Malawi.
“It shows that women in Malawi are doing great things and it is about time people start paying attention and render the support needed.
“We are now at the centre of sharing and teaching how certain things are done with the limited resources. We are demonstrating that we can and should be counted in this space,” she said.
Mwafulirwa said the award does not come with money, it comes with big opportunities of bigger networking and links with funders that Guzakuza through the Ignite Afrika programme has created.
Women in Agribusiness Awards are an annual event organised by Guzakuza, Ghana, targeting women who are in agriculture-related businesses across Africa.
This year, the awards were in 28 categories open to every African woman.
Mwafulirwa is also one of the participants of the 2022 Guzakuza Ignite Afrika programme that is winding up next month.
According to the Guzakuza programme and finance coordinator Stephen Kyei Ansah the Ignite programme is offered in 35 countries in all regions of Africa and plans to reach every African country.
He further said the aim of the programme is to push African women into business advantage.
