The Hailemariam & Roman Foundation (HRF) and MakoBu Enterprises PLC co-hosted a pivotal side event for the Second Africa Climate Summit (ACS2) on September 10, 2025, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The event, titled “Advancing Conservation Agriculture to Enhance Climate Change Resilience and Support Agricultural Transformation through Public-Private Partnership,” brought together leaders, experts, and practitioners to highlight the critical role of sustainable farming practices in addressing Africa’s climate and food security challenges.
In his keynote address, H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, the former Prime Minister of Ethiopia and current Board Chair of AGRA, highlighted the urgent need for action, stating that over the past twenty years, Africa has experienced more than 135 droughts, displacing communities and threatening livelihoods. “If we fail to act boldly, Africa risks losing up to twenty percent of its crop yield by 2050 due to climate change,” he emphasized.
The event featured a distinguished panel of leaders and experts, including H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn; Dr. Stella Kabiri, Lead of Regenerative Agriculture at the Sasakawa Africa Association; Dr. Sintayehu Workneh, Project Lead & Climate Change Adaptation Scientist-CIAT/CGIAR; and Mrs. Mahlet Eyasu, Senior Associate with the Climate Finance Access Network.
H.E. Hailemariam shared a compelling real-life success story from the Omo Valley, where an agro-pastoral woman from Hamer Woreda, South Omo Zone, who had previously struggled with conventional methods, adopted CA. Through practices like minimum tillage and crop rotation, she now enjoys a maize harvest she never imagined.
The event concluded with a powerful call to action, urging attendees to make Conservation Agriculture a continental movement that “restores soils, safeguards the environment and strengthens livelihood.”
