The EMRC AgriBusiness Forum 2012 in Daker, Senegal, will focus on boosting African agriculture through partnership, investment and technology, organisers have said
The Forum, which will take place on 25-28 November at the King Fahd Palace Hotel, will follow on from the Johannesburg Declaration adopted during the 2011 Forum, they added.
Objectives of the event will therefore include the acceleration of investment in the industry and fostering effective private-public partnerships (PPPs) to develop agribusiness across the continent.
Speaking about last year’s event, Doyle Baker from FAO, Italy, said, “The AgriBusiness Forum is an important source of information on many important sectoral development issues.
“The forum is also an opportunity to exchange ideas with other people who are trying to promote business and private sector development, in some cases laying the basis for longer term networking.”
The event will feature technical workshops, business meetings, plenary sessions and a marketplace, offering exhibitors the chance to showcase their business to delegates.
The EMRC-Rabobank Project Incubator Award, which rewards development, innovation and entrepreneurship in the agri-food and rural development sector, will also be presented at the event, with the winner set to receive a US$15,000 cash prize.
“Individual small farmers might not feel at home at the forum but farmer representatives and organisations have an important role to play. Through their participation, the end goal of ensuring that business works for the poor can be kept in sight by everyone involved in the forum,” Baker added.
