More than 650 Queen Mothers engaged in agriculture from all 16 regions of Ghana have converged on the GNAT Hall in Accra for the 8th edition of the Gathering of the Royals, an annual platform hosted by Agrihouse Foundation that has become one of the country’s most influential forums for women’s leadership in the agrifood sector.
This year’s edition is held under the theme “Seeds of Change: From Leadership to Legacy, Women Transforming the Agrifood System,” with deliberations focused on gaps in food supply chains, infrastructure, and the industrialisation of agribusiness, and on how traditional women leaders can drive community-level action toward more inclusive and sustainable food systems.
A central feature of the 8th edition is the fulfilment of commitments made at the 2025 gathering. Selected Queen Mothers from across all 16 regions will receive day-old chicks along with vaccines, cages, and feed, which they will distribute to youth in their communities as part of a community-level poultry agribusiness push. A new Tomato Production Initiative is also being launched at the event, aimed at strengthening domestic production and reducing the risks Ghanaian women traders face sourcing produce from neighbouring countries.
A new addition to this year’s programme is the Market Queens’ Traders Conversations, which brings together market women from Nima, Makola, Lapaz Nii Boiman, Tema Station, and Osu Market to speak directly to issues of transportation, sanitation, pricing, and post-harvest losses between the farm gate and the consumer.
The Agri-Royal Panel this year features Queen Mothers from the Volta, Savannah, Central, Western North, Bono East, Ahafo, Eastern, and North East Regions, rotating from the regions represented at the 2025 edition to ensure broader geographic representation over time.
The event will also honour farmers living with disabilities from the Western North, Central, and Ashanti Regions, recognising their contributions to the agrifood system.
Executive Chair of Agrihouse Foundation, Alberta Nana Akyaa Akosa, said the gathering has delivered concrete outcomes over its eight editions. “Over the years, the Gathering of the Royals has delivered measurable results,” she said, citing its role in enabling crop input companies to reach rural markets, influencing agricultural policy, and creating agri-jobs through the Royals in Agribooster initiative.
Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, Member of Parliament for Klottey Korle, serves as Chief Patron, continuing a legacy established by her late mother, former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings. Senior dignitaries attending include Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture John Setor Dumelo and the Director of Presidential Initiatives in Agribusiness Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor.
