Day 1 at AFS Forum 2024 | Global Leaders call for an inclusive food systems, and more investments in nutritious foods

Kigali Convention Center played host to the Africa’s largest forum on agriculture, the Africa Food Systems Forum 2024. The official opening ceremony was officiated by Rwanda’s Prime Minister, Hon édouard Ngirente. This year’s theme "Innovate, Accelerate, and Scale, calls for harnessing the creativity of Africa's youth and women to drive economic progress, and that was the message that each speaker rallied at the opening ceremony. Here is the sneak peak of what happened on Day 1 of AFS Forum 2024.

Sierra Leone Legacy Program

Sierra Leone took center stage with a powerful keynote address from Hon. Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, Chief Minister of Sierra Leone, who highlighted the potential of Sierra Leone to export rice, cassava, cocoa, and coffee as he appealed for investment in the country. “Private sector investment is critical for Sierra Leone's 1.8 bn dollars needed to transform our food systems,” he said. Hon. Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka, Sierra Leone's Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, provided an in-depth overview of the program, outlining its goals, expected impacts, and the unique opportunities it presents for investors.? He highlighted Sierra Leone's ambition to feed itself through the Feed Salone Flagship program to enhance food security.

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Official Opening Ceremony

AFS Forum 2024 was officially opened at the Kigali Conference Center Auditorium and featured remarks from Dr. Agnes Kalibata, AGRA President, who welcomed the delegates and noted that “Welcome to AFSForum2024. This year's theme, Innovate, Accelerate, and Scale, calls for harnessing the creativity of Africa's youth and women to drive economic progress. I am very happy to say that 40% of the current CALA cohort are youth. These young leaders come from industry and government. The program brings together heads of different departments and enables them to work together to solve problems in food systems.” AGRA Board Chair His Excellency, Hailemariam Dessalegn said this year’s theme underlines the need for us to forge partnerships that ensure that farming is intensive, climate smart and sustainable. “This commitment includes creating a conducive policy environment for our youth to get involved. I am confident food systems can be a champion of change leading other industries with solutions. Let us be the champions for this change.”

édouard Ngirente, Prime Minister of Rwanda also remarked, “The Africa Food Systems Forum has served as a critical platform that has influenced agriculture policies, enhanced investments and made progress in delivering sustainable food systems.” The opening ceremony set the stage for insightful discussions on the progress and gaps in the implementation of the continental food systems agenda and how to accelerate and scale food systems delivery at the policy, programming and investment levels through public private partnerships that put youth and women at the center.        

Africa Agriculture Status Report 2024

The session featured the launch Africa Agriculture Status Report 2024 which highlighted MSMEs as a force in building Africa’s Food Systems. Medium and large-scale agribusinesses are playing an increasingly important role in Africa’s agro-food system, with new value chain investments that are capturing opportunities for growth over the past 10-15 years. These new investments have been triggered by a combination of factors (such as food price crises and policy incentives) and driven by growing local, regional and international food demand (underpinned by rising incomes, urbanization, and changing diets).

https://agra.org/publications/africa-agriculture-status-report-aasr/

Gogettaz Grand Finale

Innovative agribusiness youth entrepreneurs had the opportunity to showcase their ventures and pitch their ideas in front of a panel of judges and potential investors.        

Dealroom Opening and Launch

Participants had an opportunity to explore trade deals of varying tickets size and partnership opportunities that could help enhance sourcing from African MSME’s, smallholder farmers and governments. Paul Lawson, Norweigan Government, remarked, "The banks are not ready to take the risk of supporting agri-SMEs. That's why we will launch a 35m dollar fund next month for agri-SMEs.”

The Deal Room continues to operate throughout the Forum, it is expected to facilitate numerous deals and partnerships that will have a lasting impact on Africa’s agricultural landscape. The momentum generated today is a promising sign of the transformative potential that lies ahead. Last year’s edition mobilized USD 10.2m & we expect this number to grow this year. The session brought together actors from different value chains and brought to life their experiences and the benefits of investing in African Food Systems.        

Burkina Faso and Mali Forge Strategic Alliance in Agriculture and Food Systems

Burkina Faso and Mali recently hosted a collaborative dealroom session, highlighting their shared vision for agricultural transformation. The event was introduced by Jules Some, AGRA's Country Director in Burkina Faso, and officially opened by Mali's Minister of Agriculture, Daniel Siméon Kelema.

The session underscored the two nations' investment priorities and strategic plans for advancing their agriculture and food systems. Alassane Guire, Cabinet Director for Burkina Faso's Minister of Agriculture, outlined the Burkinabe government's key reforms. These include the enhancement of agricultural inputs, spearheaded by the Company of Inputs and Agropastoral Equipment (SOBIMAP), the pursuit of blended financing, and the fostering of public-private partnerships.

Mali's strategic focus, presented by Minister Kelema, emphasized improving soil health and fertility, making agriculture more profitable, boosting productivity, integrating irrigation systems, advancing mechanization, and strengthening resilience against climate change.

The session also featured notable attendees, including H.E. Yaya Doucoure, Ambassador of Mali to Rwanda, Rodouwna Mohamed Ali, Commissioner for Food Safety, Alassane Nikiema, General Director of SOBIMAP, and Ouattara Oula Damien, General Director of Dumu Ka Fa.

Culinary Village Platform with Paul Newman, CEO, SDG2 Advocacy Hub & Founder, Chefs Manifesto

The Culinary Village was a vibrant celebration of Africa’s diverse and rich culinary heritage. Lots of excitement as chefs, food enthusiasts, and attendees from across the continent gathered to explore the unique flavours that define African cuisine. There were insightful conversations on making agriculture attractive to youth across the different value chains, from production to processing and putting food on the table! Challenges were noted in the conversation between Paul Newnham and AGRA’s Bertha Mkandawire. “Every year, 10M young Africans are stepping into the formal job market which can't rope them all in. Agriculture is the gateway for young people,” said Bertha Mkandawire, the nutrition lead at AGRA.

Scaling Investments for Rice Self-Sufficiency: Opportunities and Challenges

The ECOWAS Rice Observatory today organised an event that brought together key stakeholders to explore the development of the rice sector in West Africa. As rice remains a staple food for millions in the region, ensuring its sustainable production is essential for both food security and economic stability. However, achieving self-sufficiency in rice production is fraught with challenges such as climate change, resource constraints, weak implementation of policies, and market dynamics.

The event's discussions were framed around the Regional Rice Roadmap, which outlines strategic objectives for increasing productivity and sustainability in the rice sector by 2035. The session provided an in-depth look at the ECOWAS Roadmap 2025-2035, with insights from key policymakers, including Ministers of Agriculture from various ECOWAS member states. These discussions focused on the need for supportive policies, improved agronomic practices, and enhanced infrastructure, such as irrigation systems, roads, and processing facilities, to boost the region's competitiveness in the global rice market.

The Minister of Agriculture &Forestry of Sierra Leone, emphasized the potential for Sierra Leone to elevate its rice production by focusing on these elevate its rice production on these strategic areas. "By implementing supportive policies, improving agronomic practices, and enhancing infrastructure, we can boost our competitiveness in the global rice market." Similarly, H.E. Malam Umar A. Namadi highlighted the critical role of smallholder farmers in scaling up rice production, noting that "focusing on mechanisation and ensuring access to tools and financial resources empowers farmers to increase productivity and strengthen the agricultural sector."?        

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