6 août 2025
Afrofood: an economic and cultural lever driven by women
Afrofood is on the move. And this movement has a face: that of women.
From bissap fields to gastronomic kitchens, from marketplaces to international panels, African and Afro-descendant women are at the heart of a sector in full transformation. They cultivate, transform, innovate, export.
Today, they are moving forward. Together. And that is why Women in Afrofood-WINA exists.
Afrofood, an underestimated power
Long regarded as exotic or confined to the informal sector, Afrofood is a complete sector. Agriculture, processing, distribution, gastronomy, food tech: each link is an opportunity to create value.
But this wealth is still too little captured by those who produce it.
WINA poses a simple equation:
No Afrofood without women.
And no sustainable transformation without their full economic recognition.
WINA: building power, not just visibility
WINA – Women in AfroFood – aims to be a global network. A place of convergence. A collective force.
Our mission: to elevate Afrofood by uplifting those who carry it.
We do not only engage in networking.
We create concrete value:
Strategic training (entrepreneurship, branding, export, standards, e-commerce, ..)
Market access (trade shows, distributors, dedicated marketplace, ..)
Access to financing (preparation for fundraising, connection to financial partners, …)
Targeted visibility (media, international campaigns, storytelling of members, …)
Our network aims to expand from Africa to Europe, through the Americas and the Caribbean. With a single objective: to build a food value chain led, owned, and defended by Afro-descendant women.
What we see, what we assert
We see women who innovate, often without recognition.
We see brands ready for export, but without support.
We see Afro cuisine being celebrated, but rarely carried by its creators.
We do not want to simply participate in this market.
We want to change the rules.
Why should Afrofood be an economic pillar?
Because it carries solutions:
For the empowerment of women
For the food sovereignty of African countries
For the diversification of local economies
For the inclusion of culinary identities in the global narrative
Fonio, cassava, moringa, hibiscus, baobab, cowpea, and many others...
They are not just products. They are stories, heritages, and resources for the future.
What we are building
We are building a platform. An ecosystem. An international structure.
A place where a producer from Benin can collaborate with a distributor in Brussels.
An space where a chef based in Paris can access traceable raw materials sourced from women’s networks.
We do not sell illusions. We build bridges.
Joining WINA is investing in a vision
Joining WINA is investing in a vision
Are you a producer, transformer, restaurateur, grocer, innovator?
Do you want to go further? Find opportunities? Access real tools? Evolve with women who share your challenges?
Join us.
At WINA, we do not invite you to “express yourself”.
We find ways together to assert ourselves.
👉 https://www.helloasso.com/associations/women-in-afrofood
Empowering Women. Elevating Afrofood.
It’s more than a slogan. It’s our frontline.
