Female myAgro staff members met with female members of the executive team who visited Mali last week, during a panel discussion on women’s leadership and mentorship. The meeting was part of myAgro’s Women’s Leadership Program to encourage female staff to find a mentor who can direct them in their career plans, give them confidence in themselves, and guide them to make the right decisions for the future.
During the panel discussion, staff members covered topics like how to recognize a good mentor, how to manage a whole team, and how to overcome challenges in male-dominated roles.
“The executive team gave us advice like ‘never fear failure’ and ‘never stop learning, even as a leader,’” says Fatoumata, myAgro’s translator in Mali. “I learned that your career is not set in stone, and if you are not okay with what you are doing, just change it,” she adds.
“Especially in male-dominated societies, women should encourage each other and work in teams, rather than fighting each other,” one of the executive team members explained.
Last year, myAgro launched its Women’s Leadership Program, which gathers over 40 female staff members across all departments and trains them on leadership and mentorship, professional development, team management, and public speaking. In a region where women are vastly underrepresented in the workforce, myAgro takes responsibility for providing professional opportunities to develop women leaders not just for our organization, but for the communities we serve.
