<p>The first edition of the Fofed opened on 29 August, at Sofitel Abidjan Hotel Ivoire. The contribution of women to the production of national wealth, particularly in the agricultural sector, was highlighted by Mariam Fadiga Fofana, Founding President of the Africa Women Initiatives (Awi) Foundation. It was on 29 August, at the opening of the first edition of the Women and Development Forum (Fofed), at Sofitel Abidjan Hotel Ivoire. "The ceremony that brings us together today gives us the opportunity to emphasize, once again, the primordial socio-economic role of women in our community ... It is present in all the productive sectors of the economy, including the agricultural value chain and accounts for about 40% of jobs in the sector, "said Mariam Fadiga Fofana. "Better, according to the National Institute of Statistics, 60 to 80% of the food production in Cote d'Ivoire is provided by women," added the founder of Awi.</p> <p>Despite these flattering figures, women in the agricultural value chain are still struggling to ensure their empowerment. Many difficulties, including access to land and sources of finance; the difficulties to find outlets for a better marketing of their production undermine their efforts, according to Mariam Fadiga Fofana. The first edition of the Fofed aims to address these issues through reflections on the theme "Empowerment of women and community development".The theme of the Forum will be split over two days into several sub-themes, including the economic empowerment of women in rural areas, women's self-financing mechanisms, formalization of cooperative societies, capacity building in production . "It will be a matter for us, during this forum, to mobilize all the stakeholders. Namely: politicians, public institutions, development partners, researchers to exchange knowledge, present know-how in the field of agriculture, "explained Mariam Fadiga Fofana.</p> <p>The full accession of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mamadou Sangafowa Coulibaly, was expressed by his representative, Kouakou Apporture, who described the forum as fertile ground for the development of Ivorian agriculture. As for the Ministry of Women, Child Welfare and Solidarity, he sees it as a sign of union and solidarity with the actions carried out by the government in favor of women and a contribution to the advancement of the struggle to make women, an intrinsic value of society. This is, moreover, what Mansila Abouattier said, on behalf of his minister.B-to-B workshops and meetings are also scheduled on the agenda of these conferences, which are supported by several development partners.</p>