African leaders lobby devt partners to tackle worsening hunger crisis

Rising from the 14th Africa Food Systems Forum (AFS) in Kigali, Rwanda, African leaders have agreed to lobby development partners to help the continent battle a worsening hunger crisis through the transformation of the continent’s food systems.

The yearly event, held from September 2 to 6, 2024, at the Kigali Convention Centre in Rwanda, which focused on the theme: “Innovate, Accelerate and Scale: Delivering Food Systems Transformation in a Digital and Climate Era,” was aimed at encouraging investment in the continent’s agrifood sector.

Hosted by AGRA, the forum featured nine heads of state, 37 ministers, seven former heads of state, and 40 heads of international agencies, who were part of about 5,000 attendees for the event, considered as the continent’s largest agriculture conference.

The forum commenced with a series of pre-summit sessions that set the stage for key discussions on innovations in soil health, gender-responsive approaches to agriculture and youth involvement in food systems transformation.

The leaders said the continent would need a lot more political will and support from the private sector and other donors to transform its agriculture and end the lingering hunger crisis.

They also came out with several steps to help the continent battle the food crisis, encourage investment in the continent’s agrifood sector, a development that yielded good result, which saw the commitments of countries such as Norway that launched a fund to support small- and medium-sized agri-food enterprises, while the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and a U.K-based social impact investor that invests in African agribusinesses also followed suit.

The official opening ceremony emphasised the urgency of climate-smart agriculture and technology-led farming practices for Africa’s food future. Themed days covered a range of critical topics: food self-sufficiency and financial support for smallholders, nutrition-sensitive food systems, youth innovation and role policies in shaping a resilient future for Africa.

Additionally, discussions on climate-focused innovations highlighted the pressing need for resilient agricultural practices to adapt to climate challenges across the continent.

The Prime Minister of Rwanda, Dr. Edouard Ngirente, addressed the session on role of private sector in food systems transformation. During the session, the Prime Minister acknowledged that government’s efforts to strengthen food systems must be complemented by the private sector’s involvement in shaping and executing the food system agenda.

While sharing Rwanda’s perspectives on promoting the private sector in food systems, he noted that Rwanda remains committed to Vision 2050 and other international commitments, with a particular focus on ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture.

He also highlighted Rwanda’s efforts to de-risk the agriculture sector by modernising crop and animal resource production, strengthening market linkages, boosting exports, and ensuring food and nutrition security for all Rwandans.

The Prime Minister concluded his remarks by reiterating Rwanda’s commitment to engaging the private sector in driving agri-food systems to improve food security and nutrition.

Major developments during the forum, included the launch of the Seed Index Report by AGRA, TASAI and the African Union to improve seed quality across Africa, as well as the unveiling of the Africa Agriculture Status Report (AASR), which focuses on the critical role of MSMEs in transforming Africa’s food systems.