Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), has called on African governments to create a fund to support women small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in agribusiness to thrive in this period of CoVID-19.

According to AGRA, the creation of a fund by the respective African governments had become necessary to protect the businesses of women SMEs on the continent from collapse.

"AGRA, in consultation with continental partners and women agriprenuers networks, calls on governments in Africa, the development community, and the private sector, to urgently deploy resources to assist women access resources necessary to conduct agricultural activities, cushions their small businesses to avoid collapse," the statement added.

AGRA indicated that women constituted nearly 50 per cent of agricultural workforce and own one third of SMEs on the continent, and were a key pillar of Africa's food systems.

Small women businesses were going through challenges such as loss of sales revenue, cancellations of supply contracts, spread of virus among workers, the statement said, pointing out that, "Women SMEs are particularly vulnerable to these shocks due to their low level of capitalisation resulting from limited access to long term financing."