Elsie’s Women Empowerment Farm is the first women-owned farm producing organic cotton in the Gambia, and as the name might suggest, women’s economic empowerment is at the heart of this enterprise. Moreover, as a member of the Young Female Farmers Association, Elsie A. Williams works together with the association to boost women’s role in agriculture. ‘My vision was to revitalize cotton production in The Gambia,’ says the farm owner. ‘When we are successful with this, much more people will have jobs. I told myself to take the responsibility and mobilise other women, as I cannot do this alone.’ The Gambia has a rich history in cotton production – a major cash crop in the 1970s and 1980s. However, as a result of political changes, cotton production and export decreased significantly at the end of the century. Observing the shifting market, Elsie identified a growing demand for organic cotton in recent…

The influence of African music and culture on the lives of two of Nigeria’s most famous women, football superstar Asisat Oshoala and award-winning singer-songwriter Tiwa Savage, are centre stage in the latest episode of the FIFA PlayOn Podcast. The duo tells the podcast’s co-hosts, Universal Music Group’s global chart-topping artist Liam Payne and sports broadcaster Jaydee Dyer, about how their love of Afrobeats inspired them to overcome the odds and become trailblazing global icons. Oshoala, now a prolific FC Barcelona Femení striker, admits that it had been “emotional” to revisit tough times from her past while selecting six songs to represent a personal soundtrack to her life so far. “It made me think back to how I left my family and created my own happiness out of nothing,” she says. “These songs kept me going.” Oshoala explains how she had a strict upbringing and was forced to hide her passion for football from her parents before…