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The 2022 AGRF Summit, in Kigali Rwanda, was officially opened on Tuesday September 6, during a session attended by leaders in Africa’s agriculture and food systems.  

The AGRF is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture, bringing together stakeholders in the agricultural landscape to take practical actions and share lessons that will move African agriculture forward.

This year’s edition marks a return to in-person attendance following a two-year break brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Under the theme Grow. Nourish. Reward – Bold Actions for Resilient Food Systems, participants, including heads of state, ministers of agriculture, leaders of development organizations, the scientific community, and private sector investors, will for four days engage in conversation and deals intended at driving an inclusive and sustainable agricultural transformation in Africa.

Rwanda’s Prime Minister, the Right Honorable Dr. Édouard Ngirente, officially opened the summit with an appeal for collaboration between Africa’s different stakeholders in fast-tracking Africa’s food system transformation.

Citing the successful launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Hon. Ngirente, urged leaders to view food system transformation as a key foundation of the continent’s economic growth.

“We have seen bold actions at the continental level, with our heads of state and government coming together to form the AfCFTA … we now need to leverage such mechanisms to ensure that we are better able to meet our food security needs,” he said.

“African countries need to fully commit to driving a comprehensive agriculture transformation as a key foundation of our economic growth,” he added.

His sentiments were echoed by H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, the former Prime Minister of Ethiopia and current board chair of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), who reiterated that Africa’s future well being is dependent on today’s actions.

“A food systems transformation is key to economic transformation … we need this now… anything short of this implies that Africa is likely to be the only hungry continent by 2030,” he said, while reiterating that quicker action is required to achieve the key sustainable development goals of ending hunger and poverty by 2030.

Rwanda’s agriculture minister Hon. Gerardine Mukeshimana added: “We need to come up with actionable plans to get us out of the present crises, but also to develop our resilience for future survival”

As part of the activities to drive the requisite food transformation, African countries were urged to invest in innovation technology, with Gambia’s agriculture Minister Hon. Dr. Demba Sally singling out investments in post-harvest handling as urgent.

“Most parts of West Africa have about 30% of their food going to waste…we must seriously invest in processing and marketing,” he said.

More areas of investment, noted AGRA President Dr. Agnes Kalibata, are contained in the food system pathways that countries committed to at the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit in New York.

The launch event culminated with the launch of the 2022 African Agriculture Status Report (AASR), whose theme is Accelerating African Food Systems Transformation.

This is our time. Our time to connect, unite, seek catalytic solutions and take bold action, to build on commitments, and to tackle food insecurity.

For the AGRF 2022 Summit and beyond, we connect, unite, and act under the theme of Grow. Nourish. Reward. Bold actions for resilient food systems. What does this mean? It means that in order to translate the AGRF 2021 Summit commitments into actionable strategies and true progress for Africa’s agricultural and food systems, we must:

Grow

…grow the coordinated and large-scale action by stakeholders across multiple sectors, by mobilizing private and public investments to strengthen small and medium-sized businesses, youth entrepreneurship, and access to markets for smallholder farmers.

Trade and competitiveness are critical stimuli for continental economic recovery and growth. The implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in 2021, was an important milestone for African regional and international trade covering a market of more than 1.2 billion people and up to $3 trillion in combined GDP.  

AGRF 2022 is our time to build on this milestone on the journey to zero hunger, good health and wellbeing, industry, innovation and infrastructure, and the many other relevant and interconnected UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Nourish

…nourish innovations and cultivate country solutions across a continent that in 2020 was home to one in five people facing hunger – more than double the proportion of hungry people in any other region. In fact, the continent remains a net food importer at an annual cost of $43 billion.

The current African food systems are failing to deliver healthy diets to all and are one of the greatest challenges for climate and environmental sustainability.

Healthy diets demand a systems approach that acknowledges the central role and responsibility of food systems across the world, working together across other key systems to provide better diets for all, while also sustaining the planet for future generations.

To nourish Africa’s people, we must find the right formula to deliver nutritious food in an affordable and environmentally sustainable way.

Reward

…reward and recognize champions across the agricultural ecosystem and food system, by ensuring that they have a supportive environment, and celebrate country pathways, innovations, and initiatives that are actionable and scalable in delivering food systems transformation.

With more than half of the 375 million young people entering the African job market in the next 15 years set to be living in rural areas, the AGRF 2022 Summit will provide a laser focus on climate-smart jobs in the rural economy. Without this focus, youth will increasingly migrate to urban areas, increasing pressure to import food. It is imperative that we reward young people who choose a career in agriculture and who are part of the positive and sustainable transformation of Africa’s food systems.

How can you play your part in Africa’s food systems transformation?

From land to leadership, AGRF 2022 calls upon leaders from the private sector, national and local governments, youth, and other organizations to put forward bold actions that can play a key role in transforming how Africa produces and consumes food.

We look forward to welcoming you to the AGRF 2022 Summit, where we will build on the Common African Position for food systems and more than 30 national pathways for food systems transformation that exist across the continent. We will also be showcasing leadership from African countries that is taking these pathways to the next level.

Join us to get one step closer to food security for all by registering to attend the AGRF 2022 Summit, hosted in Kigali, Rwanda from 5^th to 9^th September, 2022: https://bit.ly/3azW8UP.

After four days of active engagement around the creation of resilient and sustainable food systems in Africa, the AGRF 2021 Summit came to an end on the evening of Friday September 10, 2021.

At the closing ceremony, various leaders from across Africa appealed for the participation of all stakeholders in the pursuit of a food systems transformation that will increase food security and income for all in the continent.

Notably, Lucy Muchoki, the Chief Executive of the Pan-African Agribusiness and Agroindustry Consortium, reiterated that the economic transformation of the continent will be led by its inhabitants, even as she appealed for support from development partners.

Her sentiments were supported by Hon. Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, the Deputy Governor of Nigeria’s Kaduna State, who noted the need for provoking youth participation in agricultural and food systems transformation.

“It has been difficult to get youth attracted to agriculture but we are working to make farming exciting, including through digital agriculture technology,” she said, citing the effort her government is making.

Meanwhile, Dr. Godfrey Bahiigwa, the Director of Agriculture and Rural Development at African Union Commission, announced that Africa had attained a common position for submission to the UN Food Systems Summit (UN FSS) in New York starting September 23. 

The UN FSS will bring together the world’s leaders in reviewing the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

“The Africa common position is rich, it has 43 game changing proposals, and if fully implemented will help to transform Africa’s food systems and make them resilient.

“For Africa, in tracking the commitments of the UN FSS that our members will adopt, we shall be using the CAADP Biennial Review Report,” he said.

In his closing remarks, H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn, Chair of the AGRA Board, hailed the AGRF 2021 Summit as a historical event that was attended by a record number of heads of state, ministers, heads of development organizations, business people and farmers.

As confirmed by Jennifer Baarn, the acting Managing Director of the AGRF, in the four days of the AGRF Summit 4000 government officials, investors and entrepreneurs from 89 countries engaged in the Agribusiness Dealroom, where USD 5.1 of investment needs were presented.

Various awards were also presented during the event, including the Africa Food Prize, the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize and the Value4Her Women Agripreneur of the Year Award (WAYA).

From Nairobi, Kenya, the AGRF Summit goes to Kigali, Rwanda, for 2022 – the official home of the annual event.

Moderating the launch of the AATM today during the AGRF 2021, was Ms. Sara Mbago-Bhunu, Director, East and Southern Africa Division, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). She noted that the 2021 Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor (AATM) Report analyzes continental and regional trends in African agricultural trade flows and policies.

After the short brief, she invited Dr. Godfrey Bahiigwa, Director, Agriculture & Rural Economy and Agriculture, African Union Commission, Ethiopia, to give his opening remarks. In his statement he noted,

“There is need for better trade data to support AFCTA agenda and to combat the adverse effects of COVID-19 pandemic. The AATM report addresses challenges in African agriculture trade, and provides findings and opportunities for intra-trade activities.”

Another key opening remark was given by Dr. James Oehmke, Acting Division Chief, Bureau for Resilience and Food Security, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He said that USAID welcomes and supports the AFCTA to significantly boost intra-African trade, the launch of the AATM is extremely timely to inform the growth of the continent in addressing key challenges.”

The baton was passed to Dr. Ousmane Badiane, Executive Chairperson, AKADEMIYA 2063, Senegal, who gave highlights of the report touching keenly on various points, such as: Africa’s position in global markets, competitiveness in African exports, diversification of traded products, degree of value addition in traded goods and answering if COVID-19 has affected trade.

Key pointers indicated that exports have been dominated by cocoa, tobacco, coffee and seed oil, hence the need to be boosted.

“Trade in African markets is getting more competitive, especially around processed goods. There is also diversification and sophistication of Africa exports, although we have only managed a few higher value goods,” he said.

In his presentation he also noted that Intra-African trade was highest in 2013 but the trend dropped greatly in the following years to date, hence still operating below potential. He warned, 50% of countries have closed their borders and this has greatly impacted trade, and advised that removing border restrictions should be removed to grow.

Next to speak was Vanessa Adams, VP Strategic Partnerships and COP PIATA at AGRA— Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, who stated that there is an ability for coalition of the willing in Africa on the ACFTA and there are great efforts in addressing barriers to trade and greenline procedures.

“We continue to be optimistic in AGRA and I encourage more sharing of realtime data,” she said. In completing her remarks she went on to appreciate the efforts of all partners who took part in this initiative and declared the AATM report officially launched.

There were reactions and additions from key panelists, such as Antoine Kajangwe, Ministry of Trade and Investments, Rwanda, whom, in giving a country example, said: “In Rwanda, we are seeing more exports on flowers, fruits, and maize, among other agricultural products. Majority of trade is on the border between Rwanda and the DRC, where 90,000 informal traders engage in trade in agricultural commodities; the majority of these are women, at 74%.”

Dr. Johan Swinnen, Director General, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) & Global Director, Systems Transformation, CGIAR, USA also said: “This report highlights key data that can inform policymakers to make informed decisions on policy regulations in the different countries, we need to continue to collect data.”

Representing the African Continental Free Trade Area was Peter Joy Sewornoo of AFCTA Secretariat, who said: “The AfCFTA has 44 country members who signed the agreement. In January 2021, we started trading and we have signed on 28 tariffs so far, out of the rendered 42. We are at 86% of agreed goods of quality.”

Adding on was Dr. Maximo Torero Cullen, Chief Economist, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Italy, who indicated that there is a huge window to increase and improve the level of exports. He reminded everyone that the value of agri-food declined from 4% in 2011 to around 1.7% in 2017, which indicates a big problem.

“Intra-regional trade needs to be accelerated by various actions among them providing value block chains and also improving on quality of food,” he said.

 “AATM is a wide resource to lobby stronger for the trade agenda to improve food systems and reduce poverty,” Dr. Heike Hoeffler, Project Lead, Agricultural Trade, Agribusiness, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Germany, said in closing.

During the penultimate session of The AGRF 2021 Summit, Citizen TV’s Jeff Koinange was joined by a stellar line-up of senior leaders, brought together to publicly declare their commitments to building resilient food systems and sustainable, inclusive agriculture in Africa.

Opening the Commitments Framework session, Mr. Koinange said: “I’ve learnt the 3 ‘C’s this week: Covid, Conflict, Climate change – these are the things we all have to overcome as a continent.”

The three ‘C’s theme ran throughout the session, with Maura Barry, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Resilience and Food Security, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), saying:

“We know strides have been made but we all acknowledge that the three Cs have disrupted the growth trajectory. USAID remains committed to help strengthening resilience.

Unified agenda and commitments to the future of food security

“I really want to congratulate AGRF on a successful Dealroom. We’re so encouraged by the unified agenda. We’ve seen important conversations take place that promote food systems transformation.”

The pathway to truly transformed and sustainable food systems brought several key announcements to the table during the session. Ms. Barry gave a teaser to a full announcement planned for the UN Food Systems Summit on 23^rd September, 2021, saying:

“We are currently revising our global food security strategy. It will focus on a strong set of commitments that will focus on climate and inclusive development, as well as strengthening resilience.”

Ms. Barry talked passionately about deploying climate-smart technology, mobilising private sector finance, the importance of large-scale food fortification, and working hand-in-hand with scientists to holistically improve food systems. Ms. Barry, and fellow speaker Mr. Dominik Ziller, VP, IFAD, talked about the importance of prioritising women, children, indigenous people, and other marginalized groups.

China-Africa development

Hon. Wu Peng, Director General, Dept. of Africa Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, People’s Republic of China, was positive about the rapid development of both China and Africa. Hon. Peng cited that there are at least 120 Chinese agricultural enterprises investing in Africa. He highlighted the recent growth of ecommerce in helping food producers boost income during the pandemic. And he assured the audience that enhancing agricultural cooperation will be one of the top priorities at FOCAC 2021.

“We will encourage China to continue to invest in Africa; to send agriculture experts to Africa. China will be dedicated to working with Africa to fight against natural disasters, increase food production, achieve food security and make new strong contributions to build an even stronger China-Africa community with a shared future.”

Representing the African Development Bank Group, its VP for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, Dr. Beth Dunford, said of one initiative that the financing facility aims to do five big things in Africa:

1. Double agricultural productivity
2. Build resilience
3. Bring greater investment into states that are often perceived as too risky
4. Unlock more private investment in agriculture
5. Build infrastructure & policy environment needed for resilient food systems.

Dr. Dunford added: “We’re already setting targets for what the financing facility for Food & Nutrition Africa could achieve. We expect it to mobilise $1bn from partners, double yields or more in nine commodities, produce 100 megatons of food, feeding 200m more Africa, that’s 80% of the continent’s chronically hungry.”

The future of sustainable food and energy systems are inextricably linked

Adding another dimension to the discussion, Dr. Roy Steiner, MD of Food Initiatives at The Rockefeller Foundation, admitted: “We are not going to be able to achieve these goals of having a food system that’s equitable, generative and nourishing if we don’t end the climate crisis by bringing renewable energy to the near 1bn people living without access to energy globally, 573m of those live in Sub-Saharan Africa.”

Startling numbers, which Dr. Steiner insisted could only be reduced by acknowledging that the future of food and energy systems are inseparable:

“To address this, we are launching a global energy alliance that will catalyse a $1bn investment. $500m from The Rockefeller Foundation and $500m from the IKEA Foundation. It really aims to bring 1bn people renewable energy, reduce 1bn tons of greenhouse gas and attain 100% gains in productivity.”

Big numbers kept coming, with Mr. Dominik Ziller, IFAD’s Vice President, confirming that they had already directed $175m to smallholder farmers and they aim to mobilise another $500m in the coming years.

GDP contribution and investment inextricably linked

In a moment of brutal honesty, Dr. James Mwangi, CEO, Equity Group Holdings admitted that: “If we look at SDGs, they will not be achieved unless we transform agriculture.”

He went on to outline that Equity Group Holdings’ comment is:

“To appreciate agriculture and resource it to the same level that it contributes to the GDP of the African continent. We have made a bold commitment that Equity will allocate 30% of all its levy to agriculture.”

Reiterating a messaging that has been prevalent across The AGRF 2021 Summit, Mr. Mwangi said we need to make agriculture attractive for young people because no one can transform agriculture alone. And we need to do this by making agriculture part of a bigger ecosystem.

“We have been lobbying the government a lot to try and get agriculture mainstream sector. Government programs shouldn’t be seen as socio interventions, but as investment programs that allow private sector capital to throw in. We can’t be able to succeed without promoting trade; cross-border trade is a huge area of focus.”

Digitising the agricultural value chain and using agriculture to decarbonise the planet

Digitisation is a critical part of food systems resilience. According to Mr. Mwangi, this area needs more investment, to allow agriculture to be fully integrated with the lead economy.

In a frank answer to Mr. Koinange’s question: “Are we walking the path?” Mr. Mwangi admitted that: “The paradox that we have talked about – that we have 60% of the world’s arable farmland and then we are living in food deficits – would not be happening if we were doing well and walking the path.”

Jai Shroff, CEO, UPL Ltd agreed: “At UPL we are very committed to transforming the agriculture sector to be more resilient. Resilience in agriculture can come through tech, helping farmers to become more resilient. The world is focused on decarbonising, agriculture is one of those tools that can actually be used to decarbonise the world.”

Talking in the same vein as Dr. Steiner, Mr. Shroff asked why we can’t incentivise the food system to follow regenerative practices, saying this is common practice in things like electric cars and solar panels.

Closing remarks

In the closing remarks, H.E. Lionel Zinsou, former Prime Minister of Benin and the Founder of SouthBridge, brought some stark numbers to the table:

“What is the part of the credit of the pot in Benin that goes to agriculture? 2%. What is the share of agriculture to GDP? 27%. What is the active population employed in ag.? 50%.”

He pointed out that this is unsustainable. And that if we want sustainable agriculture, those figures have to be dramatically changed. He applauded the consistent, systemic, value chain approach of AGRA.

Fellow former Head of State, former Ethiopian Prime Minister, H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, closed the session, saying: “AGRA’s commitment to 2030 is essential. In our ambition to achieving resilient and food secure Africa, the continent requires tested and scalable transformation assets that will fast track the reduction of hunger and poverty.”

“To feed our diversity (over 1000 tribes), we cannot apply one simple solution. The challenge is complex and this requires investments and concerted efforts in a collaborative, measurable way.”

He urged partners to join AGRA, who is committed to transforming agricultural sustainability, and looking to enhance productivity and innovation capacity.

Onwards to the UN Food Systems Summit.

While the COVID-19 pandemic complicated the situation for farmers in various ways, it positively invited attention to the need for digital technologies in driving Africa’s food system transformation.

This was as farmers found new connections to input suppliers and markets using various digital tools. Consequently, the continent witnessed a rapid integration of digital and innovative technologies within every stage of the agricultural value-chain, all in just two years.

Recognizing the need to build on this digital transformation opportunity, innovators, researchers and policy makers met at an AGRF 2021 summit session on Friday September 10, 2021 to discuss the sustainability of emerging digital solutions for African agriculture problems.

Kicking off the conversation, Maura Barry, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Resilience and Food Security at USAID, said that the full potential of digitalization in agriculture could be realized earlier through investments in infrastructure development and farmer education.

“In some emerging economies, the adoption of even basic digital tools is low due to a low digital technology coverage and digital literacy,” she said, adding that these gaps must be filled for an increased adoption of digital innovations in agriculture.

Ms. Barry went on to note that even more investments are required to accelerate the uptake of digital technologies by women agripreneurs in emerging economies, who contribute greatly to food system transformation objectives, but are often marginalized.

“Women [in emerging economies] are 20% less likely [than men] to own a smartphone, and 43% less likely to engage online, and this has real consequences for their families and for food production. This is as research shows that access to digital finance services strengthens women’s household decision-making power and increases their labour force participation,” she said.

Innovators on the panel appealed to both government and private sector players to commit resources to supporting startup enterprises in the agri-business space.

“An increase in digital literacy can only take place once access is increased…we invite governments, private sector players to invest in agri-tech SMEs for long-term socio-economic benefits,” said Dexter Tangocci, co-founder, CTO and Geo-spatial analyst of Integrated Aerial Systems.

E-Soko CEO, Daniel Asare-Kyei, added that more investments are required in startups that increase the access to agricultural information by farmers.

“There is a rare race of farmers getting competitive information from different sources. As such, there is a need to promote media amongst other technology startups,” he said.

Fellow speakers at the session, from Mercy Corps, Safaricom, Yara, CTA, Microsoft, McGill University, FAO, KALRO and the Ethiopia’s Agriculture Transformation Agency (ATA), highlighted the roles of their different organizations in the promotion of digital agriculture objectives in Africa.

The Elders Council brings together African Former Heads of State and Government willing to support the continent’s efforts in achieving the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) or Malabo declaration and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) commitments. This year’s elder’s council is a premier effort within AGRF that was moderated by H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia and AGRA Board Chairperson and AGRF Partners Group Chair.

African leaders recognize the critical role that agriculture plays in economic transformation and development. Unfortunately, current numbers and results show that the continent is still not on track to achieve the UN-SDGs by 2030 (especially SDGs 1, 2 & 3). Close to 300 million Africans are still going to bed hungry, and these numbers are increasing because of cycles of droughts and floods and related pests damage, all resulting from climate change. And now, Covid-19 has thrown many people out of jobs and increasing numbers find themselves with food insecurity.

To start off the session was a keynote address by H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, who stated that with nine years left to achieve the SDGs, our strength lies with UBUNTU, the power of unity. “The elders council within AGRF will play a key role to ensure that former leaders draw a lot of lessons from their tenure and continue to hold each other accountable to grow agriculture in our continent,” he added.

To start off the panel discussion was H.E. Dr. Jakaya M. Kikwete, Former President of the United Republic of Tanzania who shared that in Tanzania, there is always fear that we may sell everything to other countries and end up with nothing for ourselves so naturally we impose export bans, but it should not be the case. “We need to have talks with other neighboring countries to promote trade, let us look at shortages as opportunities to intra-trade,” he quipped. He equally shared an experience he had in Indonesia as a foreign prime minister citing, “I realized they have built better infrastructure like roads and canal irrigation with access to water, high yielding seed, fertilizers, pesticides, skilled farmers who are a big input to better productivity and leverage science.” He urged that it is important to replicate these actions so that we achieve improved food systems and provide enough food to our continent.

Next up was H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Former President of Liberia who began by noting that Africa and particularly Liberia her country, hasn’t yet been able to solve the problem of food insecurity. “Our agricultural systems and farmers have faced serious difficulties especially since 2014 when the country was greatly hit by Ebola,” she added. She did indicate that there are various efforts that have been put in place to counter these harsh effects. “More efficacy is needed for freedom of movement in between borders to allow for share of resources, learnings and trading,” she said. In answering the query posed on how to improve support to women as change agents and drivers of progress, she was quick to applaud Tanzania for electing a female President which has filled a void in Africa by appointing women in executive positions. She quickly warned however that if we continue at this pace we won’t meet gender equality to get more women voices for development. As a champion for women, she finalized by saying, “I have established a center for women development with 30 women so far, we give them larger profiles to share experiences with fellow women in executive positions who serve as mentors.

“In Benin, we have not supported agriculture and farmers despite the fact that it contributes 37% of GDP in the economy,” said H.E. Lionel Zinsou, Former Prime Minister of Benin who was next to speak. He passionately noted that indeed the continent needs money to develop but still needs political will in a way that leaders recognize the true importance of agriculture. He urged that Africa needs working capital because it the lesser financed continent, it is also less indebted and hence needs the money for micro-finances, banking systems or even subsidies as there is no development without access to money. On matters of trade he added, “We do not need to be protected from our neighbors, we need to cooperate with our neighbors and share resources to boost agriculture and to grow our continent.”

In addressing what leaders in African countries need to do differently to create a meaningful change, H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo, Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria said that at the leadership level our country policies must be in tandem with what is happening on the ground with the farmers. “The ministry of agriculture works in Silos, they must broaden their knowledge of what smallholder farmers want and learn the challenges,” he added. In his final remark as advice to African leaders he advised that a little knowledge of economics is good for our leaders, simple things like learning of demand and supply.