Mrs Lydia Gyebi Asare, the Chief Executive Officer of Yaamansah Farms at Nsawam, has invested 600,000 Ghana cedis in the cultivation of pineapples, catfish, and pawpaw to improve production. The 44-year-old farmer made a significant investment in 2016, which included purchasing land, hiring farmhands, and managing logistics to ensure the smooth operation of the farm. Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mrs Asare said the 100-acre farmland had piggery, cassava, coconut, plantain, pineapple, and pawpaw farms and 20 earthen ponds used for catfishing. She also produced fingerlings and fish feed to complement what she purchased from the market, adding that she desired to contribute to improving food security in the country. The journey had not been easy, she said, as she experienced petty thefts, poor production due to lack of theoretical and practical knowledge in farming, and the inability to find a market for her produce. 'I didn't know anything about farming when I started, so I recorded poor production, especially in the catfishing. I also used to experience petty thefts of farm produce and some farm implants,' she said. However, after seven years, Mrs Asare noted that her investment and sacrifices had paid off when she emerged as the Eastern Regional Best Fish Farmer in 2023. In 2022 she produced 40,000 catfish to support the fish market and advised people who wished to go into farming to gain enough knowledge before venturing into it in order not to record losses as she did. Although agriculture contributes 54 per cent of Ghana's Gross Domestic Product, approximately 39 per cent of its labour force are women. Source: Ghana News Agency Kakamega County will host the first ever International Business Conference from 19th to 22nd March this year. The Theme of the Conference is 'opening up counties as the new frontiers for investment and development among 14 Lake Region Economic Bloc (LREB) Counties'. Governor Fernandes Barasa announced that the conference will bring together over 3,000 participants from across the globe. Speaking during the Kakamega business awards and gala dinner, Governor Barasa said the Conference will be a major opportunity for the LREB counties, to partner and showcase the potential of the region as a business destination. 'As you are aware counties are at the bottom of the pyramid, so there is a lot of investments happening at the counties, but we have never had a proper investment Conference that will attract and showcase to the general public, the opportunities that are available,' he noted. The Governor explained that the International Conference will culminate with the formation of Kakamega Investment Hub for w estern region, where investment opportunities will be showcased through the Kakamega County Investment Development Agency (KCIDA). The National Director of Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ken Onditi, who was present during the Gala Awards, said the Chamber will advertise to more than 177 Chamber members worldwide, to increase participation in the Conference. 'We will lobby countries where we started joint business councils such as in Turkey to attend and exhibition at the Kakamega International Business Conference,' he noted. Source: Kenya News Agency
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