By HELEN ZULU –
THE Government is organising the 2015 African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) aimed at unlocking Africa’s prosperity inherent in agriculture.
The event, which is scheduled to take place in Zambia between September 29 and October, is being jointly organied by the Government, the AGRF Partners Group and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
AGRF programme director Michael Sudarkasa said Africa needed to make its value chains work for men, women and youths to fully unlock the prosperity inherent in its agriculture.
“The AGRF is scheduled to take place in Lusaka between September 29 and October 2, 2015. We believe that for Africa to fully unlock the prosperity inherent in its agriculture, we must make its value chains work for men, women and youths.
This year’s AGRF is themed: ‘Walking the talk on youth and women: Bringing inclusive agricultural markets to life’.
We look forward to engaging with the leaders on African agriculture to shape the current thinking and practice in the fast-growing agribusiness industry in Africa,” Mr Sudarkasa said in a statement in Lusaka.
He said the theme for the forum was timely and appropriate, as the continent sought to make the prosperity inherent in agriculture-as-enterprise more inclusive for women and the youth.
Mr Sudarkasa said that Africa’s agriculture had the potential to generate all of the food that was currently imported, valued at US$35 billion per year.
He said Africa must define clear strategies for increasing access to operational finance and to lucrative markets to enable youths and women engage in agriculture as a business enterprise.
Mr Sudarkasa said this would in turn spur the growth of associated industries, with the net result being more shared prosperity for Africa’s men, women and the youth and a triple dividend of improved food security, increased incomes and employment creation.
“Historically, women and youths have been more disenfranchised with regard to accessing agricultural finance and markets, and so as the AGRF Partners’ Group, we are taking bold and pragmatic steps to shape the conversations and trigger the commitments that will lead to the unlocking of agriculture’s value for women and youths.
“The design of this year’s AGRF will facilitate greater engagements among leading thinkers and actors, and three key agricultural constituencies: Women, youths and domestic private agribusiness.
“Collectively, we hope to come up with a blue print of creating viable agric-enterprises that will not only contribute to reversing our food import bill but will also grow Africa’s economies by double digits,” Mr Sudarkasa said.