Dakar 2: In Ivory Coast, AFAWA and the digital platform “BuyFromWomen” revitalize the activities of female agripreneurs | African Development Bank

Brouz Jeannette Coffi on her cassava field in Toumodi. ©UN Women/Stéphane Joel Dah

Toumodi, Ivory Coast – Brouz Jeannette Coffi, 54, lives with her seven children in the town of Toumodi, in the Bélier region, 195 kilometers from the capital Abidjan. Jeannette has been a nurser and certified producer of cassava cuttings for eight years and is president of a union of 60 cooperatives called “Les Moissonneurs”, with various branches in the villages of Toumodi.

As a farmer, Jeannette faces several difficulties, in particular purchasing equipment to harvest her products and selling the harvests in local markets and supermarkets in the region and in Abidjan.

“Almost all sections of our cooperative members produce cassava. The cassava is then transformed into attiéké [variété de couscous local] and dried out in the factory. We sell in the local market, but at the supermarkets, the managers asked us for certification that was beyond our means due to the very high cost. Jeannette explains.

In 2022, the “BuyFromWomen” project was implemented in the Toumodi region with the support of UN Women and thanks to funding from the “Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi)” program and the African Development Bank, through the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative.

The e-commerce platform “BuyFromWomen” gives women farmers and members of women-led agricultural cooperatives in Ivory Coast better access to local markets. And therefore a better sale of their agricultural production at favorable prices compared to other markets.

“BuyFromWomen” provides training for women farmers on entrepreneurship, literacy, cooperative management and digital tools. These trainings are intended for leaders of cooperatives that also include women. In this way they acquire the essential techniques for using the BuyFromWomen digital platform..

Brouz Jeannette Coffi and members of the cooperative “Les Moissonneurs”. ©UN Women/Stéphane Joel Dah

“Cooperatives are an important segment of female SMEs and when they are formal and structured, as is the case for the cooperative ‘Les Moissonneurs’, they can attract more financing, significantly increase their production and access larger markets. says Esther Dassanou, AFAWA Program Manager at the African Development Bank.

Jeannette and Secretary General Yao Adjoua Thérèse, both members of the cooperative, are trained in management techniques and the use of digital technology to better sell their crops on the “BuyfromWomen” platform. In turn, they provided training for the members of their co-op, created a Facebook page and an email address so that all members could join the platform to sell their products on the Internet. The 60 cooperatives of the “BuyFromWomen” project that benefited from the training were then organized into a network group.

“After the training, we shared what we had learned with the women from the other sections. Now they have a better understanding of how to manage and operate a cooperative. As a result, they are more involved and see the cooperative as a common good. », Jeannette rejoices.

The lack of knowledge of good production techniques and lack of technical equipment was the cause of the low yield of their productions. Since training and using more appropriate farming tools and inputs, the women have been able to increase their yields by 5 to 8 tons per hectare, against the expected 20 tons for the next crop.

“After the training we received a loan of 30 million CFA francs [environ 45 000 dollars] which was reinvested to produce an additional 98 hectares of cassava in the various departments of our cooperative. The cassava variety Yavo, which will be harvested and delivered in December, has an expected average yield of 20 tons per hectare. With the loan we could rent the tractor, work the soil better and respect the technical production routes,” says Jeannette proudly.

AFAWA has also integrated “financial inclusion” into the training program for women in cooperatives, a component offered by FIN’Elle, a microfinance institution dedicated to the financial empowerment of women entrepreneurs.

“If women have access to funding, they can improve their outcomes and develop their communities. We are very proud of the achievements of the cooperative “Les Moissonneurs”, says Dassanou.

Thanks to the BuyFromWomen project, the “Les Moissonneurs” cooperative has doubled its production and tripled its annual turnover. Last year, Jeannette’s cooperative was able to sign the first sales contract for the entire cassava harvest to a processing company. Jeannette remains deeply committed to developing the cooperative’s business and income-generating activities to improve the situation of women in Toumodi, her region.

According to World Economic Forum statistics, women produce more than 70% of food for domestic consumption and sale in local markets. It is essential to ensure their financial inclusion and strengthen their ability to develop their activities.

Click to access the BuyFromWomen platform here.