Empowering Women in Agribusiness: FAO’s Mentorship Journey in Africa

Since 2022, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) — the food-focused arm of the United Nations — has been running a transformative mentorship program across Africa aimed at strengthening the role of women in agribusiness.

Spanning three years:

• 2022/2023
• 2023/2024
• 2024/2025

This initiative has brought together seasoned agribusiness experts, industry leaders, and experienced SME veterans to mentor female-led agribusiness startups over a dedicated nine-month period.

The core objectives of the mentorship program include:

1. Sharing insights and lessons learned from real-world agribusiness experiences.
2. Highlighting success stories and learning from past failures.
3. Discussing common challenges faced when growing sustainable enterprises.
4. Facilitating market linkages and access to financial institutions, while guiding mentees on crafting fundable and impactful proposals.
5. Supporting formalization of businesses, and encouraging networking and strategic partnerships for long-term growth.

One shining example from the program is Eunice of Hillside, who mentored three SMEs—two from Jemya and one from Mali. Remarkably, two of these mentees were selected as Star SMEs and invited to share their journeys at a prestigious FAO event in Rome, Italy.

This year, the spotlight shines on SME Retokuo from Mali, who will be delivering a keynote address from the FAO global platform, sharing her inspiring growth story and how the mentorship program shaped her agribusiness journey.