During the opening ceremony of the eighth Africa Agribusiness and Science Week (AASW) held in Durban, South Africa, African Development Bank (AfDB) president, Akinwumi A. Adesina, highlighted that African food systems have the potential to unleash US$1 trillion in value over the next seven years
The event was organised by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) with the government of South Africa, the African Union Commission (AUC), AfDB and the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). Other partners included the UN’s IFAD and UNIDO as well as the European Commission.
AUC Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture Ambassador Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko urged the continent to take advantage of its youthful population and immense natural capital, stating that the event could not have come at a better time, as the world was in the midst of a hunger pandemic caused by cascading factors, including Covid-19 and climate change.
While FARA chairperson Alioune Fall spoke about the interlocking relationship between climate change and agricultural production, Adeina highlighted that African food systems had the potential to unleash US$1 trillion in value over the next seven years. “For that to be achieved, we must strengthen and support the CGIAR with a lot more resources, ensure that it works in and delivers for Africa based on our priorities, and support regional research and development institutions, such as FARA and the sub-regional agricultural research organisations,” he said.
"We must pull together the best of science, technology, and innovations to drive a more productive, efficient, and more competitive agricultural system,” Adesina told an audience of stakeholders in agriculture and agribusiness research and innovation in Africa.
He also presented the 2023 FARA Leadership Prizes for Advancing Agricultural Science, Technology, and Innovation in Africa to Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director general of the World Trade Organisation; Ambassador Sacko; FARA’s executive director Yemi Akinbamijo; Senegal’s former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Infrastructure Papa Abdoulaye Seck; and Afreximbank president Benedict Oramah.
AfDB initiatives to boost African food security include the Feed Africa Summit, held in January in the Senegalese capital Dakar.
