SIWA team engages Obuasi East farmers to evaluate weather app impact on decision-making
Date: 2026-03-26
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
The
DIPPER Lab’s SIWA team has conducted an engagement with farmers in Obuasi East
Municipal to assess the impact of the Smart Indigenous Weather App (SIWA) on
household decision-making, with particular focus on women farmers.
Introduced
to the municipality last year, SIWA provides localized weather predictions
aimed at improving agricultural planning. During the meeting, the team reviewed
app prediction charts with farmers to evaluate their accuracy and usefulness in
day-to-day farming activities.
The
initiative, known as ObaaSIWA, is implemented under the Gender and Responsible
Artificial Intelligence Network as part of the Gender Equality and Digital
Inclusion (GEDI) framework. The project is funded by EmpowerHerAI and executed
in collaboration between DIPPER Lab and the GRAIN Network, which seeks to
advance digital tools promoting gender equality and responsible AI across
Africa.
Dr.
Elikplim Abui Tamakloe, Ph.D., Gender Lead, engaged women farmers to gather
feedback on how the app could better meet their needs, while Dr. Enoch Bessah,
Climate Change and Ecosystem Monitoring Lead, advised on agricultural
challenges and encouraged inclusive use of the app among all farmers.
This
engagement forms part of ongoing efforts to refine SIWA and strengthen its role
in supporting informed, gender-inclusive agricultural decisions in the region.
