RAID Webinar Series: Women in Agriculture

WEBINAR 1 – Leadership Journeys and Lessons Learned

Wednesday 4 June 2025

5:00 PM – 6:00 PM (AEST | Canberra, Australia)
[7:00 AM – 8:00 AM GMT | Accra, Ghana]
[5:00 PM – 6:00 PM PGT | Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea]

Duration: 1 hour

REGISTER

Join us for an inspiring session featuring two remarkable leaders in agriculture, Josephine Laka and Charity Osei-Amponsah as they share their leadership journeys, experiences, and lessons learned.

With over 20 years of experience in agriculture and rural development, Josephine Laka has worked extensively with smallholder farmers and Indigenous communities across PNG. Currently an FPIC Specialist with FAO, Josephine is known for her work in biodiversity conservation, gender empowerment, and community-based approaches to sustainable livelihoods.

Charity Osei-Amponsah, a Senior Regional Researcher at the International Water Management Institute, brings deep expertise in water governance, climate resilience, and gender-transformative approaches in agriculture. Based in Ghana, she also serves as Deputy Country Representative and leads research and policy engagement for the Resilience Against Climate Change–Social Transformation project.

Josephine Laka

Josephine Laka is a committed agriculture and community development professional with over 20 years of experience working in Papua New Guinea’s remote rural communities. She has led wide-ranging rural livelihood development projects, with a focus on smallholder food and cash crops, food security, gender empowerment, social inclusion, and sustainable agriculture. Josephine is also a dedicated mentor to young agricultural interns and has played a leading role in an ACIAR-funded research collaboration, the WestAgro Fly Vanilla Extension Project in Western Province, PNG and more recently, Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) engagement with Indigenous Peoples in the Eastern and Western Highlands Provinces of PNG. 

As an ACIAR Learn Champion and Crawford Fund alumna, Josephine is passionate about lifelong learning and knowledge sharing. Her diverse experience includes key positions with FAO PNG, Ok Tedi Development Foundation, Hidden Valley Gold Mine, and Innovative Agro Industries. Across these roles, she has contributed to agricultural extension, women’s informal skills training, and inclusive community development. 

Currently serving as an FPIC Specialist with FAO, Josephine works at the intersection of biodiversity conservation and sustainable livelihoods. She actively promotes inclusive development, climate-smart farming, and community-based approaches that enhance the resilience and well-being of rural populations across Papua New Guinea. 

Charity Osei-Amponsah

Charity Osei-Amponsah is a Senior Regional Researcher on ‘Governance, Institutions and Inclusion’ with the Water Governance and Political Economy Research Group at the International Water Management Institute. She is based at the West Africa Office in Ghana and serves as the Deputy Country Representative. Charity currently coordinates the Resilience against Climate Change-Social Transformation Research and Policy Advocacy project. Her research focuses climate resilience, social transformation, water governance and policy analysis, gender transformative methodologies, agricultural innovation systems and innovation capabilities. 

She has a PhD in Rural Development Sociology from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Charity was a postdoctoral visiting fellow under the AfricaLics postdoctoral visiting fellowship programme, hosted by the Department of Business and Management, Aalborg University, Copenhagen Campus in Denmark. 

Itinerary

Welcome

About RAID Network

Speaker Introductions and Presentations

• Career Overview – Their background and why women’s leadership in agriculture matters 

• Career Journey – Entry into the field, key milestones, leadership roles, and major challenges 

• Navigating Leadership – Strategies for visibility, advocacy, and managing gendered expectations 

• Advice for Early-Career Professionals – Key takeaways, encouragement, and tips for stepping into leadership 

Q&A Session

Closing & Wrap-up