Ruka Yaro De-Liman and Priscilla Akoto-Bamfo were among just six leading female entrepreneurs selected to engage with the Vice President, during her recent three-day visit to Ghana.
Kamala Harris, the Vice President of the United States, meets Ghanaian entrepreneurs including Priscilla Akoto-Bamfo (third from left) and Ruka Yaro De-Liman (fourth from left). Photo courtesy of Vice President Kamala Harris’ Twitter feed.
Vice President Harris later posted a short video—bookended by Ruka and Priscilla—in which the business experts talk about the importance of empowerment through entrepreneurship.
It was my honor to meet with six extraordinary women entrepreneurs in Ghana… When we lift up the status of women, we lift up their children, families, and communities, and entire societies benefit.
Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States of America
Ruka and Priscilla, like so many in the CAMFED Sisterhood, truly embody the ripple effect that follows when women succeed and lead.
Ruka is Founder and CEO of a poultry business called Jamillulah Farms, creating employment for young people, especially women. Training and seed funding from CAMFED and its partners have helped her to grow her enterprise and support more members of her community. Ruka has mentored more than 3,000 young people.
In 2014, she was recognized as a Mandela Washington Fellow for her business and community activism. Ruka traveled to The Presidential Summit in Washington, DC, where she was one of 25 people to win a $25,000 award. The money enabled her to further expand Jamilullah Farms, as well as support over 100 small businesses owned by rural women.
She joined the CAMFED Association as a Core Business Trainer in 2011 and was later elected National Chairperson of the network in Ghana, serving until 2020. Ruka holds a degree from the University of Development Studies in Ghana.
Priscilla is the Founder and CEO of Shepherd’s Rice Mills, a women-led enterprise that engages women along the rice value chain to create fulfilling returns for them. Her rice milling and packaging company is located within the Savelugu-Nanton District of the Northern Region, where economic opportunities—particularly for women—are limited.
Priscilla employs 5 full-time workers, as well as providing opportunities for more than 150 rural women who are largely involved in parboiling activities. In 2022, she appeared on national television to talk about the challenges of navigating a male-dominated industry and the opportunities she is paying forward. Through CAMFED and its partners, Priscilla accessed an interest free loan to grow her business, as well as gaining peer-support through our Sisterhood of business game changers.
She is a 2015 Mandela Washington Fellowship Alumna and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography and Resource Development from the University of Ghana.
February 6, 2023
Thalitha was supported by CAMFED through secondary school, and excelled in her school leaving examinations, particularly in science subjects. She won a presidential scholarship, a fully funded university place to study for a Bachelors of Science in Crop Science and Technology at Chinhoyi University. His Excellency the President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa, personally congratulated Thalitha on her achievement.
I am a Nurse and a second lieutenant in the Malawi Defense Force. On inauguration day, November 2, 2022, I was invited to the state house to meet the president for Poppy Week, in which we remember those who fought in World War Two and World War One. I felt honored to be chosen to pin a poppy on the president’s jacket.
Lauara Helfman $26.6
Marie Sarnacki $158
Robert Elson $200
Mary Ross $31.9
Laura Saunders £78.1
Erin Birmingham $58.2
Helen Harvey £26.2
Deborh Case $500
Aimee Miller $158
Lucinda Morrisey $158
Emily Reardon $1052
susan. J Feingold $26.6
Jacqueline Davis $158
Susan Strome $4000
Angela Thompson £80
