EMEA President Prof. Rym Ayadi, Professor at Bayes Business School – City, University of London, Senior CEPS Advisor, and co-founder of the Brain Capital Alliance & Brain Economy Hub, was a distinguished speaker at the conference “Empowering Women in Agriculture: Navigating Peace, Conflict, and Food Security.”
The event, held on 08 March 2025 in celebration of International Women’s Day, was co-hosted by the Arab International Women’s Forum in collaboration with the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), the Centre for Women, Peace and Security, the LSE International Development Department, and the LSE Middle East Centre.
Agriculture remains a cornerstone of Africa’s economy, with approximately 68% of the labor force engaged in the sector. Notably, Africa has one of the highest proportions of women working in agriculture worldwide. However, the agricultural landscape is undergoing rapid transformation, with climate change posing significant challenges not only to ecosystems and economies but also to livelihoods, cultures, and identities.
The event highlighted the vital role of women in agriculture, amplifying the voices of those who are driving sustainability within their communities and on a global scale.
The conference opened with keynote addresses and remarks from H.E. Haifa Al Kaylani OBE, President & Founder of the Arab International Women’s Forum and Advisory Council Member of the World Agriculture Forum; Dr. Caroline Green, Manager of the Centre for Women, Peace and Security at LSE; and Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli, President and CEO of the ONE Campaign.
Prof. Ayadi contributed to the plenary session “The Impact of Peace and Conflict on Food Security,” alongside Charlotte Brown, Researcher at the LSE Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa and PhD Candidate in International Development at LSE, and Dr. Dina Zayed, Independent Strategist, Researcher, and Policy Advisor. The session was chaired by Dr. Louise Arimatsu, Distinguished Policy Fellow at the Centre for Women, Peace and Security at LSE.
Prof Ayadi underlined in her intervention that “Cash transfers provide more than just immediate relief—they empower individuals, stabilize food systems, and strengthen the economic resilience of communities. By putting financial resources directly in the hands of those affected, especially women, they offer dignity, choice, and a pathway toward long-term recovery.”
It should be noted that the Arab International Women’s Forum (AIWF) is a partner of EMEA. The two organizations signed an MoU in March 2024, with the purpose of enhancing collaboration on the Euro-Mediterranean and Africa ecosystems, enhancing expert knowledge in the regions and supporting transparent inclusive social and economic development with a particular emphasis on expertise, sharing of knowledge, co-funding and dissemination to support a transformation towards a transparent sustainable transition in the Mediterranean and Africa.
