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Agriculture Ministry Showcases Women-Led Agribusiness as World Bank Reaffirms Support

Ministry of Agriculture
Agriculture Ministry Showcases Women-Led Agribusiness as World Bank Reaffirms Support
Agriculture Ministry Showcases Women-Led Agribusiness as World Bank Reaffirms Support
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[Bensonville, Liberia] – The Ministry of Agriculture has reaffirmed its commitment to transforming Liberia’s agriculture sector, with a focus on empowering women, smallholder farmers, and agribusinesses. This commitment was highlighted during a field visit hosted for a high-level visiting World Bank delegation at the cassava processing site of Destiny Women Incorporated in Bensonville.

During the visit, World Bank Vice President for Ethics and Internal Justice, Lisa Rosen, praised the Ministry’s leadership and the resilience of Liberian women in agribusiness:

 β€œIt is amazing to meet you and see all of the incredible work that you do to put food on the table for yourselves, for the country, and for the future of your children. We are very grateful to be partnering with Destiny’s Women and with the Ministry here in Liberia, to build a better future together.”

For her part, World Bank Country Manager for Liberia, Georgia Wallen, also commended the Ministry’s role in advancing women-led initiatives:

β€œWhen you invest in women, you invest in the future of Liberia. That’s why we are so proud of Destiny’s Women and honored to highlight the work they are doing. This was number one on our list of projects to visit. It keeps on giving.”

Destiny Women Incorporated’s Executive Director, Comfort Jallah, expressed appreciation for all the support the group has received, saying, β€œIt is because of all your support of the Ministry of Agriculture through RETRAP and the World Bank that we are where we are today. Cassava is our vision, and we will continue to make you proud by turning it into products that feed families and sustain livelihoods.”

Founded in 2010 and relocated to Bentol in 2014, Destiny Women Incorporated has grown into one of Liberia’s leading women-led agribusiness cooperatives. With a membership of 26, many of whom are widows and single mothers, the group operates a cassava processing plant with a capacity of 20 metric tons per hour, provided by the Ministry of Agriculture in 2017. Today, they produce gari, super gari, fufu, starch, and other cassava products.

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Through the World Bank-supported RETRAP project, the Ministry of Agriculture has provided Destiny Women with critical support, including a US$30,000 grant, which enabled the group to expand from small retail packaging to 25kg bags and scale up production. In addition, RETRAP equipped the group with a six-ton truck and a 15KVA solar system, which drastically reduced fuel expenses and improved efficiency.

The Ministry of Agriculture said the progress at Destiny Women Inc. demonstrates how empowering women and farmers can transform communities. It reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that agriculture moves from subsistence to agribusiness and remains central to Liberia’s food security and economic growth.