By Edward Dankwah
Accra, Sept. 09, GNA – Dr Agnes Kalibata, the President of AGRA Ghana, has urged African leaders to introduce bold and immediate actions in their various regions, to help transform Africa’s food systems across the region.
She said Africa faced persistent food insecurity, with lots of people suffering from hunger and malnutrition, therefore immediate and bold actions could improve food production, distribution, and access, reducing dependence on food imports and increasing self-sufficiency.
The AGRA President was speaking at the Centre for African Leaders in Agriculture (CALA) Leadership forum, on the theme, “From Local Fields to Global Impact: Leading Food System Innovation in a Digital and Climate Era,” in Kigali, Rwanda.
The CALA Leadership forum is a programme under AGRA, which is helping to equip about 40 delegates attending the Africa’s Food Systems Forum 2024, with actionable strategies and expand their knowledge to lead food system innovations effectively in their various countries.
In all, about 5000 delegates converged to discuss, define, and adopt ways of working towards sustainable, resilient, and equitable food systems across Africa and the globe.
Dr Kalibata said agriculture was a major sector in many African economies, such that by modernising food systems, leaders could boost agricultural productivity, create jobs, and stimulate economic growth.
She said the forum provided delegates across governments, civil society, private and public sector with practical insights and strategies for navigating the complexities of food system innovation amid digital advancements and climate challenges.
The AGRA President said the delegates leveraged connections with top innovators to collaborate on advanced agricultural technologies, and were introduced to action learning principles, helping them design effective projects to tackle real-world food system issues.
“Young people need to push themselves harder to do more and be problem solvers,” saying that was the focus of CALA, to nurture the next generation of problem solvers, calling for the use of its platforms to do more.
Mr Jonathan Said, the Vice President of the Centre for Technical Expertise, AGRA said, there was the need to address the leadership gap in the agricultural and food systems transformation across Africa.
He said empowering key actors in the continent with practical insights and strategies to lead innovation and implement transformative food system solutions, was essential to achieving Africa’s food security agenda.
“This forum is inspiring you to initiate relevant and impactful projects that contribute to food systems transformation and promote agricultural excellence across the diverse landscapes of our continent” he added.
Dr Said described AGRA as an African-led and Africa-based institution dedicated to placing smallholder farmers at the core of the continent’s burgeoning economy and had a mission to transform agriculture from a mere struggle for survival into a thriving business.
GNA