Jasminica is challenging the conventional idea of food supply in West Africa: it is not enough to ship rice. The real test is making it accessible and raising awareness about why hunger persists even where food exists.
In Ghana and across much of West Africa, rice is a dietary staple, accounting for up to 80 percent of daily caloric intake in some areas. Yet despite widespread availability, many households still go hungry. The problem often is not supply but rather finances, logistics, and payment systems. Governments, schools, and retailers frequently wait weeks or months for reimbursements, while many suppliers demand cash upfront. The result is that communities fall through the cracks.
Jasminica, a Ghana-based, women-owned enterprise co-founded by Janica Southwick and Fan Yang, is rewriting those rules. Its aim is to build a supply model that works with local constraints to pair that with a news platform that reports on the realities of food insecurity and African agriculture. In leadership of large commodity firms globally, women are extremely underrepresented: less than 5 percent of executives at top commodity trading houses are women.
Why Feeding Africa Needs Both Rice and Reporting
From the beginning, Southwick knew that moving rice alone would never be enough. Hunger is not just about supply. It is about awareness, accountability, and change. With her long career in media: over 15 years as on-air talent at Japan Broadcasting Corporation and NHK World in Japan, appearances on Fuji TV and other major networks, work as an actress and comedian, the authorship of five books, and building one of Japan’s top 20 blogs, she had the experience and credibility to launch a platform that could carry that second mission.
As Editor in Chief and Founder, she created Food for Africa News, a network devoted to hunger, agriculture, and development. The response was immediate. In its first ten days, the platform drew over one million views, showing the demand for honest and accessible reporting on these issues.
Food for Africa News is not conventional. Its style is intentionally bold and disruptive, designed to spark debate and drive impact. Through striking visuals, sharp headlines, and direct questions, it challenges readers to think about hunger in ways mainstream media often avoids. Whether asking why billions can be found for war while food shortages persist, or questioning who is left behind when Africa is said to be rising, the network insists that the hard questions must be faced.
By combining Jasminica’s work in supply with Food for Africa News’ mission in reporting, Southwick has created a model that feeds families while also demanding accountability, creating space for change, and pushing hunger into the public debate.
For Janica, Food for Africa News is not a side project. It is central to Jasminica’s purpose. While Jasminica manages logistics, trade, and food supply, FFA News carries the voices of those affected, telling the human stories behind the numbers — the millions suffering acute malnutrition from lack of food. Together, supply and reporting move forward hand in hand.
Building Trust, One Door at a Time
Jasminica’s model is rooted in relationships. Rather than distant negotiations, the team prioritizes face-to-face meetings in West African countries, where rice is supplied, clear communication, and consistency. Southwick says, “We did not get here by cutting corners. We went door to door, sat down with people, and explained what we were trying to do. It took time to build trust. As outsiders, we had to show we were not just another group passing through. We came to stay.”
That trust has opened doors. Today, Jasminica works directly with government agencies, public schools, uniformed services, retailers, and distributors. Because Jasminica offers flexible payment terms that acknowledge local cash flows, institutions can obtain rice even when their finances are tight. In effect, Jasminica bridges the gap between food that exists and food that reaches people.
Flexibility, Innovation, and Regional Growth
Jasminica sources rice from trusted partners in Vietnam to maintain high quality, nutritional value, and reasonable cost. The company absorbs financial risk, offering credit or delayed payment when local institutions cannot afford upfront purchase. To navigate complex logistics, it tackles challenges from transit security to port clearance, sometimes even arranging its own customs solutions.
Fan Yang, co-owner and co-founder of Jasminica, contributes by tackling those structural, operational, and scientific challenges. “We have to be creative and flexible about finance, logistics, security, even fraud,” he says. “It is not easy, but we know it matters.”
The rice is also specially selected for institutional use: nutrient-dense, well-graded, and suitable for large-scale feeding. With expansion plans into neighboring countries, Jasminica is positioning itself as a regional pioneer in sustainable food access.
Hunger at Scale:
Why Jasminica’s work matters is clear when you look at the numbers:
- In West and Central Africa, more than 40 million people are struggling to feed themselves, a figure expected to rise to 52 million in mid-2025, (Source: WFP).
- Nearly 55 million people in West and Central Africa will contend with food insecurity during the June to August lean season, (Source: WFP).
- Across Africa, about 282 million people are undernourished, nearly one in five on the continent, (Source: SOS USA).
- Women’s representation in trade and exports remains limited. In Sub-Saharan Africa, just 16.3 percent of firms in the service-export sector are female-owned, (Source: tralac).
- In informal cross-border trade, women make up as much as 70 percent of the workforce, (Source: African Business).
- Africa leads globally in female entrepreneurship with about 24 percent of people starting businesses, yet many lack access to capital and networks, (Source: IFC).
These data points show two truths: hunger is not distant, and women’s roles in trade are both vital and undervalued. Jasminica stands at the intersection of both.
Stability, Not Just Scale
Stability, Not Just ScaleFor now, Jasminica imports rice, but its growth is measured not only in tons delivered, but in the stability it brings to communities. The company is working with experts from Asia and local farmers in Ghana to prepare for future production, with the ultimate goal of reinvesting in sustainable solutions so countries across Africa do not have to depend only on imports.
Food for Africa News reinforces that mission by reporting on real experiences: how food shortages disrupt schools and families, how farmers adapt, and how partnerships can create long-term access. The two efforts, distribution and storytelling, are designed to support each other.
Southwick puts it plainly: “We want to ensure food moves to the people and places that need it, even when systems slow down.”
This combination of food supply, logistics and journalism makes Jasminica different. It is not only a company moving rice but also a platform shaping the broader conversation on food security in Africa.
The Future: Scaling with Intention
Looking ahead, Jasminica plans to scale across the region, entering new markets while holding firm to its founding values of trust, flexibility, and community focus. Food for Africa News will remain integral, documenting change, amplifying voices, and keeping the realities of hunger visible.
Together, they form more than a business. They represent a mission to deliver nourishment and understanding.
“We are mission-driven,” Southwick says. “We are here for the long haul, and we are excited about the future. This work is hard, but we are seeing the results, and that is what keeps us going.”
In an industry still led mostly by men, Southwick proves that women can lead at scale, not only feeding families but giving them a voice. Her journey from television and publishing to food supply and journalism shows how women bring credibility, resilience, and vision to some of the world’s hardest problems.
Jasminica is transforming how food reaches communities in West Africa with an innovative supply model that focuses on both access and awareness.
For more information on Jasminica and to explore potential partnerships, visit Website or follow them on social media
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How a woman-led company is reshaping rice supply and giving hunger a stronger voice across Africa.
