Posted on September, 4, 2024 at 09:28 am
Prime Minister Dr. Edouard Ngirente has called on African countries to join forces to strengthen food systems in the wake of global crises that contribute to scarcity of food, against an ever increasing demand for it.
The Premier made the call on Tuesday while officially opening the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF 2024) at Kigali Convention Centre (KCC), bringing together more than 5,000 delegates from across the globe to discuss ways of transforming the continent’s food system against a growing population.
Africa Food Systems Forum (AFS Forum) is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture and food systems, bringing together stakeholders to take practical action and share lessons that will move African food systems forward.
Dr. Ngirente, who represented President Paul Kagame, reflected on the theme “Innovate, Accelerate, and Scale: Delivering Food Systems Transformation in a Digital and Climate Era”, to remind delegates that the continent has a shared vision to scale up efforts to transform food systems and the forum serves as an opportunity to take significant steps to achieve that.
“This year’s Forum is particularly significant as it precedes critical milestones for our continent. As you are aware, next year (2025) the African Union’s Malabo Declaration will elapse. We also have less than 6 years to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” the Prime Minister said.
“As we work to fulfill our commitments, we find ourselves facing a deeply concerning situation. Food is a fundamental human right, yet, across our continent, it remains a daily struggle to access sufficient, nutritious, and affordable food. Some reports indicate that over 32 percent of all African children under the age of five are stunted against a global average of 22 percent,” he added.
PM Ngirente said that in addition to the challenges above, over 20 percent of the continent’s population is experiencing severe food insecurity, which means that nearly one in five Africans lacks regular access to enough nutritious food for a healthy life.
As a result, he said malnutrition weakens the immune system and increases vulnerability to diseases among the populations, and it also impairs physical and cognitive development among children, leading to higher healthcare costs, reduced workforce productivity and diminished capacity for innovation.
“Reports also show that malnutrition can reduce a country’s GDP by 3-16 percent, costing our continent billions of dollars annually. As we know, when a country faces food insecurity, it must allocate huge resources to emergency food aid and social safety nets,”
“As a result, this diverts essential resources from critical sectors such as agriculture, education, infrastructure and healthcare. We should always avoid this situation in our countries. Therefore, our collective responsibility is to address these challenges,” he said, rallying the continent to come together.
Dr. Ngirente said there is a need for countries and stakeholders in the agricultural sector to hold each other accountable for creating and implementing policies that promote more resilient and equitable food systems as well as policies that encourage investing in sustainable agriculture, improving supply chains, reducing post-harvest losses, and improving processing capabilities on our continent.
Rwanda as a case study
PM Ngirente highlighted Rwanda’s efforts, pointing out that the government has prioritised improving the agriculture sector, which is a key pillar for the country’s economic growth and food security, citing the adoption of modern agricultural technologies as one of the main strategies.
“In this regard, we believe that by integrating precision agriculture, advanced irrigation systems, and climate-smart practices, Rwanda will increase crop yields and resilience against climate change. The Government is also expanding access to agricultural insurance and affordable credit to ensure farmers can invest in their farms and recover from climate related shocks more effectively,”
“These efforts, combined with supportive policies and investments in rural infrastructure, are creating a more resilient and sustainable food systems in Rwanda,” he said, emphasizing that the path to delivering food systems transformation in Africa, lies in the continent’s ability to innovate, accelerate, and scale.
“By leveraging digital technologies, adopting climate-resilient practices, and building inclusive systems, we can achieve our vision where every African has access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. Our African governments and other policymakers should collaborate with the private sector to transform agriculture and ensure sustainable food supply, ” he added.
PM Ngirente pointed out that Rwanda remains committed to playing its role in advancing agricultural transformation on the continent.
Dr. Ngirente thanked Hailemariam Desalegn, the Chair of the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFS Forum), and Dr. Agnes Kalibata, Dr. Agnes Kalibata, President of the Africa Green Revolution Alliance (AGRA) as well as partners for continued collaboration with the Government of Rwanda to organise the summit which he said is key in driving the transition to resilient food systems across Africa.
The AFS Forum opened with the launch of AGRA’s 2024 Africa Agriculture Status Report, titled “Harnessing the Private Sector for Food Systems Transformation in Africa”, which provides an in-depth analysis of the significant role that micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) play in transforming food systems across Africa.
Developed through extensive collaboration with a diverse group of stakeholders, it explores the vital contributions of MSMEs to agricultural and economic transformation on the continent.
“The Africa Agriculture Status Report 2024 highlights the transformative role of MSMEs in shaping Africa’s agrifood landscape. By harnessing the power of the private sector, we can drive meaningful food systems transformation and achieve sustainable growth,” Dr. Kalibata of AGRA said.
Source: KT Press