A report released on Tuesday on African Agriculture and food systems says the strong growth experienced by many African countries must be supported by immediate and decisive leadership.
The report, “Optimism for African Agriculture and Food Systems,” says African leaders must create conducive environments for smallholder farmers to capture the potential of youth in the labour force.
The report is the result of high-level dialogue between Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, and Chair of the Kofi Annan Foundation, Kofi Annan with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The group discussed recent models of success, assessed critical challenges, and charted opportunities for concerted action.
Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General, said; “If African leaders create the right financial and market incentives, enable access to innovation, and engage the private sector, Africans will be able to feed not just themselves, but export food to other parts of the world. Building on the CAADP framework and important transformations underway, this is surely the moment for African leadership and vision to fully blossom.”
The report however warned that policy leadership is urgently needed to unlock Africa’s agricultural potential. With Africa’s growing population set to double by 2050, effective leadership could transform demographic challenges into opportunities by tapping into a growing and increasingly skilled workforce.
The African Union Commission (AUC) Commissioner Rhoda Peace Tumusiime noted that, “there are important trends such as urbanization and a growing youth population that we must view as great opportunities for Africa – from which to build a prosperous rural and urban development strategy, rather than as trends to be viewed with alarm.” Key to realizing these opportunities will be encouraging entrepreneurship in the middle of the agri-food supply chain (e.g., in processing and distribution) with market incentives and better access to data and innovation.
Citifmonline.com/Ghana