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FAO, partners sign a cooperation agreement to consolidate their support to agrifood SMEs

The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and its partners have recently signed a cooperation agreement under the project Strengthening capacities for nutrition-sensitive food systems with a multi-stakeholder approach.

The project’s goal is to strengthen knowledge and capacities of key actors that can support the achievement of healthy diets for all. In particular, the project supports agrifood small and medium enterprises and specific universities in promoting nutrition-sensitive approaches.

The cooperation agreement establishes a framework for collaboration and coordination between FAO and the University of Ghana (UoG), the Women in Agriculture Development Directorate (MOFA-WIAD), Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) and Private Enterprise Federation (PEF).

The FAO Representative to Ghana, Jocelyn Brown Hall, highlighted the importance of further increasing multistakeholder cooperation under the project: “The signing of the cooperation agreement represents a milestone for the implementation of this project. The agreement marks a step forward towards multistakeholder collaboration in scaling up the capacities of SMEs as key players in sustainable food systems”.

Already engaged in the implementation of critical capacity development activities in Ghana, the parties involved in the agreement will collaborate to leverage the role of SMEs and create an enabling environment for maximizing their contribution to healthy diets and nutrition.

A recently published FAO policy brief  provides recommendations for creating an enabling environment in support SMEs in Ghana.