Delegates attending the Africa Food Systems Forum 2024 in Rwanda’s Kigali have called for urgent innovation, investment, and political commitment to transform agriculture and ensure food security across the continent.
“Africa’s food systems have not received the political attention they deserve and the commitment they require,” highlighted H.E. Hailemariam Dessalgen, the Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia and Current Board Chair of Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), in his welcoming remarks at the Africa Food Systems Forum 2024 official opening ceremony on Tuesday, September 3.
“Food systems transformation remains a major concern for Africa today and into the foreseeable future. Firstly, because food demand on the continent is currently growing at an average rate of 3 % per annum; and secondly, the continent’s population that is growing at the same rate will nearly double from its current state to an estimated 2.4 billion by 2050,” he indicated, calling for all stakeholders to work to run ideas into action and achieve meaningful progress.
Speaking at the event, Rwandan Prime Minster Edouard Ngirente emphasized the critical need for collaboration between governments, the private sector and other stakeholders to achieve sustainable food systems. He urged African governments to harness digital technologies, adopt climate-resilient practices, and create inclusive systems that guarantee access to safe and nutritious food for all Africans.
Rwandan Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources Ildephonse Musafiri underscored the need for productive, efficient, sustainable and resilient food systems as a solution to the continent’s challenges in production, nutrition and trade. Despite progress in some areas, Musafiri said that the pace and scale of food systems transformation in Africa remain insufficient.
Delegates highlighted a range of persistent challenges, including inadequate policy frameworks, poor coordination and delivery mechanisms, climate change impacts, infrastructure deficits, fragmented markets, food loss and waste, and limited access to innovation, technologies, and investment.
The Forum emphasized the urgency of accelerating efforts to transform Africa’s food systems, driven by the looming deadlines of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2030 and the Malabo Declaration in 2025.
Innovative policies, digital technologies, and scaled investments are essential to achieving food and nutrition security while creating jobs for the continent’s growing youth and women populations, according to the AFS Forum 2024, which attracted over 5,000 participants, including policy makers, agribusiness investors, farmers’ organizations, private sector representatives , and youth.
The AFS Forum serves not only as a platform for discussion but also as an accountability mechanism, with stakeholders expected to uphold their commitments and take concrete action to drive the transformation of Africa’s food systems.