Maputo summit focuses on agribusiness
Over 150 world leading figures and experts in agriculture will convene today in Maputo, Mozambique, for this year’s African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF).
The forum will be graced by high level government officials, including African heads of State, farmers, business leaders and other private sector organisations investing in Africa’s agricultural future.
AGRF is an annual event organised by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (Agra) and its partner organisations.
The Maputo forum coincidentally comes 10 years after the 2003 African Union (AU) Maputo Declaration, which among others, compels African countries to increase the allocation for agriculture in their national budget by at least 10 percent by 2008.
According to Agra’s head of communication Sylvia Mwichuli, delegates at the three- day summit will focus on scaling up and financing inclusive agribusiness through transformative public private partnerships (PPP) to help stimulate growth in the sector.
However, the launch of the first Africa Agriculture Status Report which Agra has just published is expected to take centre stage.
The report takes an in-depth look at the entire agricultural chain in 16 countries across the African continent.
Agra president Jane Karuku on Tuesday told journalists that the report, developed and written in association with a range of agricultural experts from leading research and academic organisations across the continent, presents a comprehensive assessment of agriculture in Africa as it looks at challenges and opportunities all along the value chain.
She said it also provides independent, reliable and accessible data on each topic, as well as recommendations on how to unlock the true potential of agriculture.
Above all, the report benchmarks the current state of African agriculture, for future reports to track progress on an annual basis.
Another high-profile side event will be the presentation of the Yara annual prize at a gala on Wednesday.
The award was launched in 2005 to recognise outstanding contributions to African agriculture. However, this year, the prize will have a specific focus on men and women who are making a particular effort within agriculture, paying particular attention to innovation and entrepreneurship.
