Rwanda Hosts African Green Revolution Forum
By Khalifa Hemed
Published September 12, 2022
African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), Africa’s largest agriculture conference, has ended in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, September 6-9, 2022.
The forum kicked off with African Development Bank (AfDB) co-organizing a side event focused on its US$1.5 billion African Emergency Food Production Facility at the Kigali Convention Center.
This is an initiative aimed at supporting smallholder farmers filling a food shortfall of at least 30 million metric tonnes of food – especially wheat, maize and soybeans imported from Russia and Ukraine.
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Beth Dunford, AfDB’s Vice-President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, delivered opening remarks at the side event, speaking about how the new Facility would provide 20 million African smallholder farmers with certified seeds, increased access to agricultural fertilizers, as well as help create an enabling environment for investment in building Africa’s food systems.
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“Russia’s war in Ukraine, recovery from COVID-19’s economic impacts and the realities of climate change are complicating efforts to build resilient food systems in Africa. Coming to the continent’s premiere forum related to agriculture with solutions – like the Bank’s African Emergency Food Production Facility – affords opportunity to establish new partnerships with a shared vision to feed Africa,” said Dunford.
AGRF’s GoGettaz competition that offers US$50,000 in prizes to young “agripreneurs” running Africa’s most innovative and scalable business ventures, was presented.
