An event set to take place in Ghana at the end of November will look to facilitate discussions and debate around risk management in agriculture across the West African region
The show, entitled 'Risks in Agriculture: Emerging Markets Summit (RIAEM) 2013', will take place in Accra, Ghana, from 26-27 November and will have a specific emphasis on West Africa’s cocoa, coffee, cotton, palm oil and rubber industries.
Supported by a number of West African government ministries, including the Ghanaian Ministry of Food & Agriculture, the RIAEM 2013 Summit will aim to aid the development of agriculture across the region.
West Africa is home to a host of major cocoa, coffee, cotton, rubber and palm oil producers, and the event will focus on developments in each sector over the past few years, as well as looking at the way the industry is exporting and dealing with buyers.
"[West African countries] are eager to establish long-lasting relationships with Europe and the rest of the world to ensure their development continues and is of benefit to the entire population," read a statement from summit organiser IRN.
"There are still challenges to overcome around legal frameworks, export capacities, trade infrastructure, and farmers’ education. Solutions can only come from increased cooperation with trading houses and manufacturers who are eager to protect their supply in commodities."
A host of industry professional will attend the senior level summit, including producers, plantation owners, commodity trading houses, transportation companies, manufacturers and West African governmental officials.
In attendance at the grand opening of the show will be Clement Kofi Humado, Ghana's minister of food and agriculture; Sierra Leone's minister of agriculture, food security & forestry Dr J Sam Sesay; and Dr Brédoumy Soumaïla Traoré Kouassi, director general of productions and food security for the Côte d'Ivoire Ministry of Agriculture.
Among the names set to grace the speaker panel at the show will be Julie Greene, business head for cotton at Olam International; Arouna Lawani, First VP for Bénin's Chamber of Agriculture; African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP) West Africa regional director Pierre Brunache Jr.; and Joseph Desiré Biley, CEO of Tropical Rubber Côte d’Ivoire and chairman of the board at Fonds du Développement de l’Hévéa.
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