Government-led initiatives can address Africa's food insecurity, claims report

A new report released recently in the Rwandan capital of Kigali has urged African governments to take the lead and coordinate internal and external initiatives to address the continent’s food insecurity swiftly and comprehensively.

The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) published the 2022 Africa Agriculture Status Report during the Africa Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) session. The theme of the summit was ‘Accelerating African Food Systems Transformation’.

According to the report, Africa needs investments worth USD 40 billion-USD 77 billion annually from the public sector and around USD 180 billion from the private sector to kickstart and support the agro-food transition.

The report further states that African authorities must take the lead in transforming the food system as a national rural development, poverty alleviation, and security agenda that cuts across multiple agencies. They also need to ease the burden on donors who have been guiding flows of international assistance.

The report also adds that it is a very difficult task to accelerate the transformation of the agro-food industry in a sustainable and inclusive manner. It calls for an integrated strategy that heavily depends on system partners’ participation, with African governments driving the process that makes the required change possible.

According to AGRA's President Agnes Kalibata, the pandemic's after-effects, and the crisis in Ukraine have increased food costs and exacerbated food insecurity across the continent.

Chiefs of state and government, agriculture ministers, members of civil society, business executives, scientists, and farmers come together annually for the AGRF summit to determine the future of Africa's food systems.

It has been reported that this year's summit aims to find catalytic solutions to expand the large-scale, coordinated action by stakeholders from a variety of sectors, foster innovation, and cultivate national solutions that will turn pledges into workable plans.

Source Credit: https://www.zawya.com/en/economy/africa/governments-led-efforts-can-tackle-africas-food-insecurity-q8lz9fnh