Komie Agbagji

Pioneered women's agricultural cooperatives in Benin that transformed rural economies

Komie Agbagji (1905-1987) was a visionary agricultural leader from the Fon people of Dahomey (modern Benin). In the 1930s, she organized the first women's cooperative in Allada, creating a model that would spread across West Africa. Her cooperatives empowered women to collectively manage cash crops like cotton and palm oil, challenging colonial economic structures. By 1950, her methods had increased crop yields by 300% in participating villages. Agbagji's work laid foundations for modern microfinance and gender equity in agriculture. She later served as Benin's first female minister of agriculture (1969-1972), implementing policies that reserved 25% of agricultural credit for women. Her legacy is preserved in the Komie Agbagji Agricultural Museum in Abomey.