8 MAY2025During the Women in Agribusiness Forum's third edition, Global India Trade Advisory Chamber (GITAC) restated its commitment towards empowering women in agribusiness, spotlighting the potential of them, terming `transformative forces' in food systems of Africa.To bring light to this declaration, the event took place in Accra with the theme `When Women Grow, Africa Grows.' In an alliance with GITAC International Foundation, it was organised as a high-level forum, assembling policymakers, agribusiness leaders, development experts and advocates together for designing bold strategies which positions women as key drivers of agricultural transformation."Agriculture is more than farming--it is survival. And across Africa, women are the heartbeat of this sector. Yet, they remain underrepresented in decision-making and denied access to the tools they need to lead. This must change," said Global Africa Trade Advisory Chamber President Dr. Dominic Oduro Antwi in a statement.The forum also witnessed numerous speakers that includes entrepreneur Rashida Ali and Atlanta-based immigration lawyer Kinda Velloza.Moreover, Rashida said, "We need to change the perception of agribusiness. With the right research, financial support, and incentives, it can be a powerful and profitable career path for the next generation."Kinda added, "It will take all stakeholders working together, governments, investors, educators to position women at the center of agricultural innovation. This is about power-sharing and progress."Dr. Dominic also gave a statement, "We can no longer afford to treat women's empowerment in agriculture as a side conversation.This is not charity--it's smart economics and a roadmap to Africa's food security." OpenAI has appointed Fidji Simo as its new Chief Executive Officer of Applications, reporting directly to CEO Sam Altman. Fidji, who has been on OpenAI's Board since March 2024, will enhance application-oriented projects like ChatGPT and consumer-oriented AI applications. She will transition from her role in the coming months.Present CEO Sam Altman states that he would remain the CEO of OpenAI and focus on accelerating research, compute, and safety, which are necessary for 'superintelligence'. He says, "I will work closely with our board, making sure our non-profit has maximum positive impact."On her appointment, Fidji mentions, "Joining OpenAI at this critical moment is an incredible privilege and responsibility. This organization has the potential of accelerating human potential at a pace never seen before, and I am deeply committed to shaping these applications toward the public good."In addition to this, CEO Sam Altman notes, "Applications brings together a group of existing business and operational teams are responsible for how our research reaches and benefits the world. Simo will focus on enabling our 'traditional' company functions to scale as we enter the next phase of growth."Fidji Simo, a French American Businesswoman, took Instacart public in 2024, breaking the longest tech IPO drought in three decades. She currently serves as CEO of Instacart and has been on the OpenAI and Shopify boards. Simo has over 10 years of experience at Facebook.OpenAI's nonprofit will retain control of the company despite restructuring into a public benefit corporation, following pressure from civic leaders and ex-employees. The company faces a legal battle with ex-co-founder Elon Musk, who now runs rival xAI, to prevent it from becoming a for-profit company. IN FOCUSWOMEN IN AGRIBUSINESS FORUM AT ACCRA SPOTLIGHTS GITAC'S COMMITMENTOPENAI APPOINTS FIDJI SIMO AS NEW CEO OF APPLICATIONS· GITAC reclaims its commitment for empowering women in agribusiness in Africa· The declaration of this commitment was made during the third edition of Women in Agribusiness Forum
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