AGRA

Women agripreneurs from the Gambia, Rwanda, Benin and Nigeria receive US85,000 in grants at the annual Women Agripreneur of the Year Awards 2022

Kigali: September 7, 2022 – AGRA, the African alliance for inclusive agricultural transformation, today announced the winners of the 2022 Women Agripreneur of the Year Award 2022 (WAYA) at the AGRF summit held in Kigali, Rwanda.

A total of US85,000 in grant funding was awarded to the four winners announced during a live ceremony, in the categories: Young Female Agripreneur, Female Ag Tech Innovator, Outstanding Value Adding Enterprise, and Overall Grand Prize.

An important part of AGRA’s VALUE4Her program, WAYA recognizes women agripreneurs from across the continent who have excelled in different segments of the agricultural value chain and shown remarkable innovation in their businesses. Launched in 2018, the awards aim to promote female success stories and role models, trigger innovation and spur ambition among women agripreneurs.

This year, the competition has grown, welcoming applications from a total of 1,478 women from 38 countries across Africa. A shortlist of 15 finalists from seven countries was drawn up following several rounds of rigorous evaluation which appraised the candidates’ vision, innovations, business impact on the community and their growth potential.

The awards were judged by an esteemed panel comprising: Irene Ochem, Irene, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF); Marieme Esther Dassanou, Manager of the African Development Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa programme (AFAWA); Betty Kiplagat, the Lead of Government and Industry Affairs, Africa and Middle East at Corteva; Everlyn Musyoka, Smallholder Strategy Lead for Africa at Bayer Crop Science, Robynne Anderson, President and CEO of Emerging ag inc; and, Binta Toure Ndoye, Independent Non-Executive Board Director within the Attijariwafa Group in Senegal.

Dr. Agnes Kalibata, president of AGRA said, ‘I would like to congratulate our 2022 WAYA winners. Each is a remarkable role model to the thousands of women across Africa working to make their mark on African agriculture, and embodies the ambitions of VALUE4Her. Although women comprise around 40% of Africa’s rural workforce and contribute up to 70% of food production, their efforts are still significantly under-recognised when it comes to business opportunities and investment. The unique stories of our four winners will help us to inspire and enhance advocacy for female agripreneurs across Africa, to build an environment that supports women to catalyse the needed transformation of Africa’s food systems.”  

The winners of the Women Agripreneurs of The Year Awards 2022 are:

Young Female Agripreneur (Rising Star) – Fatou Manneh – Founder, Jelmah Herbella (The Gambia)

The award recognizes high potential young females (below 35 years) demonstrating innovation and leadership in agribusiness. See more information about why Fatou Manneh won the award: https://agra.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Value4HER_YFA_Fatou-Manneh.pdf

Female Ag Tech Innovator – Uwintwari Liliane – CEO, Mahwi Tech (Rwanda)

The award recognizes female agripreneurs championing technological advancement in agribusiness. See more information about why Uwintwari Liliane won the award:  https://agra.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Value4HER_FAT_Uwintwali-Lilian.pdf

Outstanding Value Adding Enterprise – Célia Chabi – CEO, KIEL BIEN-ÊTRE (Benin)

The award recognizes female-owned agribusinesses that are increasing the economic value and/or consumer appeal to agricultural products. See more information about why Célia Chabi won the award: https://agra.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Value4HER_OVE_Clia-Chabi.pdf

Overall Grand Award – Oluyemisi Iranloye – Managing Director, Psaltry International (Nigeria)

See more information about why Oluyemisi Iranloye won the award: https://agra.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Value4HER_FAT_Oluyemisi-Iranloye.pdf

(www.value4her.hivebrite.com/page/waya-awards)

About WAYA

The VALUE4HER Women Agripreneur of the Year Awards (WAYA) recognises women agripreneurs who have excelled in different segments of the agricultural value chain and shown remarkable innovation in their businesses. Launched in 2018, this award aims to create visibility for successful women, trigger innovation and spur ambition among women agripreneurs and promote successful women entrepreneurs as positive role models. The Award goes to women who have achieved significant recognition and business success in the field of agriculture and agribusiness with great impact on food security in their communities or countries. 

About VALUE4HER

VALUE4HER is AGRA’s continental initiative aimed at strengthening women’s agribusiness enterprises and enhancing voice and advocacy across Africa. The initiative aims to increase the performance of women entrepreneurs through access to markets and trade, access to finance and investments , through tailored online and offline match making activities, learning, networking, and global advocacy aimed at addressing some of the key barriers for women’s business growth and market participation in agriculture.

About AGRA

AGRA is a farmer-centered, Africa-led and partnerships-driven institution that is transforming Africa’s smallholer farming from a solitary struggle to survive to businesses that thrive. The goal is to increase incomes and improve food security for 30 million smallholder farm households in 11 African countries by 2021.

More information:

Mejury Shiri, mshiri@agra.org Rebecca Weaver, rwearver@agra.org

For the AGRF online press room: ewangui@hudsonsandler.com

Kigali: September 7, 2022 – Eric Yirenkyi Danquah was today announced the winner of the 2022 Africa Food Prize at the AGRF2022 Summit in Kigali, Rwanda.

The Africa Food Prize is the preeminent annual award that recognizes outstanding individuals or institutions that are leading the effort to change the reality of farming in Africa.

Eric Yirenkyi Danquah has been celebrated for his outstanding expertise, leadership and grantsmanship skills that led to the establishment and development of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) as a world class centre for training plant breeders in Africa for Africa. Danquah is a Ghanaian plant geneticist, professor, founding director of the WACCI and former director of the Biotechnology Centre at the University of Ghana.

Danquah founded the WACCI in 2007 at the University of Ghana, with the “aim of training a new generation of plant breeders to develop improved varieties of staple crops in West and Central Africa”. Through his leadership, WACCI attracted more than $30M US dollars of research and develpment funding and trained more than 120 PhD and 49 MPhil students in Seed Science and Technology from 19 African countries. This led to more than 60 improved seed varieties, including superior maize hybrid varieties, which will help boost yield for farmers and contribute towards food and nutrition security.

Today, the institution boasts of a new molecular biology/tissue culture laboratory, a bioinformatics platform, and cutting-edge university farms including a US$300,000 ultra-modern screen house for controlled experiments.

This year’s winner selection is a reflection of the importance of promoting science and technology as tools to develop solutions for sustainable food systems.

The winner was chosen by a preeminent judging panel of leaders in African agriculture, comprising Africa Food Prize Committee President H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo (outgoing Chair), Dr. Vera Songwe, Dr. Eleni Z. Gabre- Madhin,  Dr. Kamau-Rutenberg, Mr. Birama Sidibé and Prof. Sheryl Hendriks, Dr Ndidi Okonkwo Nwuneli.

H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo said:

“It is a great privilege to be able to honour and shine a spotlight on the truly remarkable achievements of Dr. Danquah. His leadership in genetic innovation inspires the future of food security and nutrition in Africa has made a tangible difference to how a new generation is working to improve African food systems. He has been, and continues to be, a true inspiration for many young minds. On behalf of the African Food Prize Committee, I would like to extend my warmest congratulations and appreciation for his continuing endeavors.”  

The Africa Food Prize 2022 was sponsored by Corteva, Kenya Commercial Bank, UPL and AGRA.

About The Africa Food Prize

The Africa Food Prize is the preeminent award recognizing an outstanding individual or institution that is leading the effort to change the reality of farming in Africa—from a struggle to survive to a business that thrives.

The US $100,000 prize celebrates Africans who are taking control of Africa’s agriculture agenda. It puts a spotlight on bold initiatives and technical innovations that can be replicated across the continent to create a new era of food security and economic opportunity for all Africans.

The Prize Committee considers the following criteria for the Prize:

• Contribution to reducing poverty and hunger and/or improving food and nutrition security in measurable terms
• Contribution to providing a vital source of income and/or employment in measurable terms
• Potential for transformative change through scalability, replication, and sustainability
• Increased awareness and cooperation among African audiences and organizations

for details and any inquires, please contact:

Boaz Blackie Keizire
Head of the Africa Food Prize Secretariat
+254733733445
BKeizire@agra.org 

To register for virtual attendance at the AGRF 2022 Summit visit: https://summit2022.agrf.org/en/registration

For enquiries to AGRF virtual press room: ewangui@hudsonsandler.com

KIGALI, Rwanda – September 6, 2022: The 2022 Africa Agriculture Status Report (AASR22) was launched today with a call for African governments to lead and coordinate domestic and external efforts to urgently and holistically tackle food insecurity in the continent.

The Africa Agriculture Status Report is an annual publication by AGRA, focusing on emerging issues in Africa. Last year, the 2021 AASR Report focused on the resilience of Africa’s food systems, and why ensuring this resilience is critical.

The 2022 report released today during the ongoing AGRF Summit in Kigali is themed “Accelerating African Food Systems Transformation”.  It emphasises the urgent need for inclusive, equitable, sustainable and resilient growth in the agricultural sector, while acknowledging intensification of major drivers of recent food insecurity trends in Africa. It recognises the need to accelerate action.

Fundamentally, the 2022 report calls for good leadership and coordination, a need to build capacity and capabilities to address food systems, but most importantly the mobilisation of financing from both the public and private sector. The publication focuses on practical pathways to meet these ends.

The report highlights six megatrends shaping the development of agrifood systems in Africa that warrant greater attention by stakeholders. It examines the role of leadership in harnessing collective effort, shared responsibility, greater stakeholder engagement, as well as rallying political will, to achieve food systems transformation in Africa. Further, it presents the investment gap required to trigger and/or sustain Africa’s agro-food transformation reflecting on the requisite human, institutional and systemic capacities and capabilities that are required to achieve agro-food system transformation at scale. And, it recommends priorities for African national governments, development partners and the private sector.

The report states that “Accelerating agro-food transformation in a sustainable and inclusive way is an extremely complex task. It requires an integrated approach, which draws heavily on the cooperation of system actors, with African governments driving the process that facilitates the required change,” adding that addressing the vulnerability of Africa’s food systems requires political will and leadership.

AGRA’s President, Dr Agnes Kalibata noted that a combination of the after-effects of the pandemic and the Ukraine conflict have led to elevation of food prices thus exacerbating food insecurity in the continent.

“The AASR22 reflects on key action areas required to tackle the most urgent and important areas in response to these challenges. There is urgent need to repurpose food policies to address the emerging challenges affecting conditions, outcomes and behaviour of our food systems, without compromising the economic, social and environmental fundamentals,” Dr Kalibata added.

The AASR22 challenges African governments to assume a leadership role in food system transformation as a national security, poverty alleviation and rural development agenda that cuts across various institutions, while reducing reliance on donors who have been directing flows of international assistance. It calls for locally led integrated action that brings together key sectors of the economy that are central to food systems, including health, environment, agriculture and education, and is aligned to national needs and priorities.

“The journey toward food and nutritional security for Africa has a clear destination: zero hunger.  Thanks to many strategy documents, we have reasonable consensus on the roadmap – sustainable intensification and a food systems approach. This report focuses on how we get there faster while adapting to the ever-changing terrain. Time is of the essence,” Dr Ed Mabaya, Research Professor at Cornell University and one of the authors of the AASR report.

According to the report, estimates of Africa’s investment needs to trigger and sustain agro-food transformation range from US$40 billion and US$77 billion every year from the public sector, and up to US$180 billion in private sector funding.

“With the private sector expected to play a critical role in filling the financing gap, public sector funding is expected to play the role of de-risking and incentivising private sector capital into agriculture,” the AASR22 states, calling for an enabling environment through investment in public infrastructure and policy and innovative financing mechanisms that are continuously recalibrated to meet evolving financial needs and circumstances.

This includes blended finance, supply chain financing through digital solutions, partial credit guarantees, risk sharing facilities, fintechs and crop receipts, among others. It notes that African countries, which currently receive less than half the resources needed to implement the continent’s climate action commitments and nationally determined commitments, need to avail climate financing to smallholder farmers and other food value chain actors.

This landmark report follows the pledges that were made at the UN Food Systems Summit in September 2021, setting a scene for a deeper introspection on the policy implications for sub-Saharan African countries.

The AASR22 was launched at the 12th edition of the AGRF Summit, an annual gathering that brings together heads of state and government, agriculture ministers, members of the civil society, private sector leaders, scientists and farmers in discussions that define the future of Africa’s food systems.

Under the theme Grow. Nourish. Reward – Bold Actions for Resilient Food Systems, this year’s AGRF Summit is seeking to find catalytic solutions to grow the coordinated and large-scale action by stakeholders across multiple sectors, nourish innovations and cultivate country solutions that will translate the commitments made into actionable strategies and progress on the ground, and reward and recognize champions and celebrate country pathways

The AASR22 is available for download here: https://bit.ly/3etVr0E

Ends…

About AGRA 

Established in 2006, AGRA is an African-led and Africa-based institution that puts smallholder farmers at the center of the continent’s growing economy by transforming agriculture from a solitary struggle to survive into farming as a business that thrives. Together with our partners, we catalyze and sustain an inclusive agricultural transformation to increase incomes and improve food security in 11 countries. 

More information: https://agra.org/   Rebecca Weaver, rweaver@agra.org

To contact the AGRF online press room: ewangui@hudsonsandler.com

Second cohort of 80 leaders from 8 countries to be unveiled as delegates gather for the first in-person Leadership Forum

Food and agriculture leaders from across Africa are gathered in Rwanda today to advance action for food systems transformation on the continent. The two-day forum themed Collaborative Leadership: Advancing African Food Systems, isorganised by the Centre for African Leaders in Agriculture (CALA), an AGRA-led initiative, and will see over 200 of Africa’s leading and emerging agriculture leaders convene for a series of workshops, panel discussions and networking sessions designed to provoke collaborative action towards the most pressing food system issues facing the continent today.

In attendance will be two cohorts of 160 participants from CALA’s Advanced Leadership Programme drawn from 8 countries – Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The programme supports food security champions and leaders to achieve progress in implementing national agricultural transformation and environmental sustainability interventions.

The forum is the first in-person gathering of CALA’s participants in the Centre’s young history. The second cohort of 80 food systems leaders will be unveiled officially. During the event the delegates will issue a call to action for greater collaboration among sector leaders on advancing African food systems.

Among the key speakers were H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, AGRA Board Chair and former Prime Minister for Ethiopia, and Dr. Agnes Kalibata, President of AGRA.

“Realising the collective expertise and energy of these distinguished leaders from AGRA’s Centre for African Leaders in Agriculture gathered here today, this is really our moment to seize to work together towards deeper integration of our food systems, and to take critical steps towards achieving zero hunger”, said H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn.

Selected from over 1,000 applicants, the 80 new CALA delegates represent the continent’s most dynamic leaders in agriculture, with 45% of them drawn from government agencies across the eight countries, 26% from the private sector and 29% from civil society.

“These illustrious CALA cohorts of 160 leaders from eight countries have distinguished themselves in delivering on food systems transformation priorities across government, private sector and civil society. In the aftermath of COVID-19, we have a unique opportunity to re-imagine and build more resilient food systems. We look forward to the rest of this decade of action working with you all to meet our sector priorities with the eight harvests we now have left,” said Dr. Kalibata.

Designed for rising stars and established executives from across Africa’s agriculture sector in government, the private sector and civil society, CALA’s Advanced Leadership Programme is the continent’s premier leadership programme tailored to support leaders to advance sustainable agriculture sector priorities. The highly competitive programme is a 16-month learning journey that emphasises collaborative and practical experience and is focused on advancing leaders’ professional skills as they contribute to delivery of flagship programmes on food systems transformation.

An AGRA-led initiative, CALA is delivered in collaboration with implementing partners, including the African Management Institute (AMI), CALA’s lead implementation and learning partner, and USAID’s Policy LINK. Policy LINK has led the design and rollout of the leadership programme’s coaching component.

“As a leader, being a catalyst for change and transformation is difficult work, even for the most seasoned professional. AMI’s leadership learning journey within CALA’s programmes, focuses on enhancing leaders’ collaborative leadership styles and providing practical, hands-on learning experiences for senior and emerging African leaders in agriculture,” said Rebecca Harrison, CEO and Co-Founder of AMI.

“This in-person event is a milestone for the CALA program and the committed leaders at its core,” said Policy LINK Chief of Party Steve Smith. “As we forge new connections in Rwanda over the next two days, may they also strengthen our common cause — transforming food systems for the benefit of the entire region and its people.” 

The two-day leadership forum comes at a time when the world is facing a crippling food crisis with countries in Africa among the most affected. It is focused on enabling leaders to deliver on their commitments to food security by emphasising the role of collaboration and adaptive leadership in advancing Africa’s food systems.

To learn more about the Centre for African Leaders in Agriculture, visit https://cala.agra.org/programme/cala-advanced-leadership-programme/

Contact:

Rebecca Weaver, Acting Head of Communications – AGRA

rweaver@agra.org

About CALA

The Centre for African Leaders in Agriculture (CALA), an AGRA-led initiative, supports sector leaders to deliver on top national priorities in African agriculture and nutrition security. These leaders represent a wide range of key actors from across government, private sector and civil society. CALA was conceptualized by AGRA and is implemented in collaboration with the African Management Institute (AMI) and USAID’s Policy LINK, with funding from the German Development Cooperation through the KfW Development Bank.

For more information visit: http://cala.agra.org

About AGRA

Founded in 2006, AGRA, is an African-led African-based organization that seeks to catalyze Agriculture Transformation in Africa. AGRA is focused on putting smallholder farmers at the center of the continent’s growing economy by transforming agriculture from a solitary struggle to survive into farming as a business that thrives. As the sector that employs the majority of Africa’s people, nearly all of them small-scale farmers, AGRA recognizes that developing smallholder agriculture into a productive, efficient, and sustainable system is essential to ensuring food security, lifting millions out of poverty, and driving equitable growth across the continent.

About the African Management Institute (AMI)

AMI enables ambitious businesses and leaders across Africa to thrive, through practical tools and training. We equip leaders with tools to build their business, help companies train their teams and run work readiness programmes for young people starting their careers. AMI’s programmes combine online and mobile tools with in-person workshops and on-the-job practice and support. AMI has directly trained over 35,000 people in over 39 countries. AMI has offices in Nairobi, Kenya, Kigali, Rwanda, and Johannesburg, South Africa.

About Policy LINK

Policy LINK is a global Feed the Future program that strengthens the leadership capacity of public, private, and civil society actors and fosters collective action among them for better policy systems. Feed the Future is America’s global hunger and food security initiative, led by USAID.

Kigali, 5^th September 2022 – The heads of the African Green Revolution Alliance (AGRA) and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) today signed a new five-year cooperation agreement at the 2022 African Green Revolution Forum in Kigali.  

“The AGRF has become the landmark annual event on the continent bringing governments and partners together around food security and making safe, nutritious foods produced in a sustainable way available to all Africans,” said GAIN Executive Director Lawrence Haddad. “AGRA is thus a critical partner for GAIN in helping deliver strategies which African government are adopting in the face of the current food crisis.” Haddad added.

The cooperation agreement covers GAIN support to the AGRF and working with AGRA to strengthen linkages between smallholder farmers and African agri-food companies, emphasizing better access to finance and technical skills for SMEs involved in the agri-food sector.

“As the impact of climate change on African agriculture grows, we need to accelerate actions to promote investments for sustainable agriculture ensuring that Africans everywhere can have better access to safe and nutritious foods.” Said AGRA President, Agnes Kalibata. “As we double down to strengthen delivery systems and the agriculture ecosystem across countries in Africa, GAIN’s expertise in nutrition and food systems will be a major support to this”.

Joint efforts are being made to strengthen nutritious food systems thinking in the African agriculture and Agri food landscape. This includes work on the development of food system metrics which will help governments and development partners plan to improve access to and availability of nutritious foods. “At the AGRF we will together be launching a new report on tools for assessing progress in food system transformation,” said Haddad.

“On behalf of all of us at AGRA we congratulate the Board and staff of GAIN on your 20^thAnniversary this year, and we are delighted to be renewing our partnership with you at this time” added Kalibata. 

About AGRA

Established in 2006, AGRA is an African-led and Africa-based institution that puts smallholder farmers at the centre of the continent’s growing economy by transforming agriculture from a solitary struggle to survive into farming as a business that thrives. Together with our partners, we catalyse and sustain an inclusive agricultural transformation to increase incomes and improve food security in 11 countries.

More information: https://agra.org/

Rebecca Weaver, rweaver@agra.org

About GAIN

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is a Swiss-based foundation launched at the United Nations in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition. Working with governments, businesses and civil society, we aim to transform food systems so that they deliver more nutritious foods for all people, especially the most vulnerable.

www.gainhealth.org

Media Contact:

AGRF online press room: ewangui@hudsonsandler.com

GAIN media queries: skaenzig@gainhealth.org

• Together with the Government of Ethiopia, AGRA designed three flagship programs to address critical gaps in wheat, rice, edibleoil and animal feed availability
• The flagship programs were designed through a consultative process spearheaded by AGRA and the Ethiopian Government and involved private sector, civil society, and development partners
• AGRA is committed to support the Government in implementing the flagship programs to convert the joint plans to action and implementation

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia: August 17, 2022 – AGRA has provided three documents to officials from the Government of Ethiopia that emerged from joint programs in Ethiopia. The documents support the Government of Ethiopia (GoE) in investment prioritization and implementation of three flagship programs. These programs are designed to promote local production, marketing and consumption of four critical agricultural items; wheat, rice, oil seeds and animal feed. The flagship programs were designed through a consultative process spearheaded by AGRA and the Ethiopian Government and involved private sector, civil society, and development partners.

The flagship documents have been designed in accordance with the governments’ policies to reduce the import of commodities by enhancing local production, which is one of the focus areas of the Government of Ethiopia.

The three flagship documents titled – the National Wheat Flagship program (NWFP), the National Rice Flagship Program (NRFP), and the Oil Seeds and Animal Feed Production Flagship Program (OSAP) will support investment and implementation of the country’s vision leading towards food sovereignty and security.

During the event, AGRA also provided three additional knowledge products. Two books from a market-led integrated value chain development program implemented in 30 woredas focusing on maize, wheat, teff and haricot bean value chains, and a booklet  outlining AGRA’s experience on targeted secondment of Technical Experts to the Ministry of Agriculture. These knowledge products aim at informing the design of future investments and interventions in the sector.

“The knowledge documents we are handing over today are instrumental to Ethiopia’s agricultural development and were requested by the Ministry of Agriculture. AGRA as a demand-driven institution could not be an initiator, rather a supporter” said H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, the former Prime Minister of Ethiopia, and current AGRA Board Chair.

He continued…. “The flagship documents are both implementation and resource mobilization tools. AGRA will continue providing the support needed for quick implementation through our existing consortia, which are equipped to enhance integrated delivery of critical services to farmers through the effective coordination of private investments,”

According to H.E Oumer Hussein, the Minister of Agriculture in Ethiopia, ‘with increasing urbanization there has been an increase in domestic demand for imported rice in the country’. This is the reason why the government is giving rice  special attention.

“The production of these knowledge products, emerging from national and international experiences would enhance our rice development program, and help achieving our aspired goal of reducing imported rice and improving food security” Honorable Oumer said.  Ethiopia now produces only just 12% of its annual rice needs, compared to 56% in 2011.

From the perspectives of wheat, the NWFP responds to the widening gap between production and consumption. Wheat consumption in the country has grown at the rate of 6% p.a. in the last decade leading to increased reliance on imports. In 2020 alone, Ethiopia imported $320million worth of wheat. 

In addition, the OSAP was designed to increase the domestic production of edible oils, from the current 2% to at least 50% by 2028. The country spent approximately US$740 million in 2020 to import over 1.2 billion metric tons of various edible oils, adding pressure to the already existing forex shortage. This flagship also concomitantly increasing the local production of animal feed, using the byproducts from edible oil production.

AGRA has also developed a flagship coordination and implementation modality plan that includes technical support for strategic direction, policy development and budget planning to help the government in successfully implementing the programs.

-ENDS

About AGRA

AGRA is a farmer-centered, African-led, partnerships-driven institution that is working to transforming smallholder farming from a solitary struggle to survive to a business that thrives. In collaboration with its partners—including African governments, researchers, development partners, the private sector and civil society— AGRA’s work primarily focuses on smallholder farmers – men and women who typically cultivate staple crops on two hectares or less. AGRA is now recognized across the continent as a strong voice for African rural development, a prosperous agricultural economy, and for supporting thousands of small African businesses and millions of African families to improve agriculture as a way to ensure food security and improve their livelihoods.

More information: https://agra.org ; Rebecca Weaver, rweaver@agra.org;

• The launch was led by the honorable Minister for Agriculture, Lobin Lowe, MP and AGRA Board Chair, H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn
• 65 guests attended physically, against the 40 that had been expected; a further 93 participated virtually

LILONGWE, Malawi: August 5, 2022 – Stakeholders in Malawi’s agriculture sector, including government representatives and private players, on Wednesday August 3, 2022 gathered in the country’s capital, Lilongwe, to launch the Malawi Agribusiness Dealroom.

Organized by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Malawi Investment and Trade Center, the Malawi Agribusiness Dealroom will provide a platform for players in the country’s agriculture sector to collate their business proposals for presentation at the AGRF Summit, which takes place in Kigali, Rwanda from September 6 – 9, 2022. 

The launch was attended by Malawi’s agriculture minister, Honorable Lobin Lowe MP who was guest of honor, and H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, the former Prime Minister of Ethiopia and current Board Chair of the alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and AGRF Partners Group.   

Hon. Lowe, noted that despite the unprecedented challenges that Malawi’s agriculture sector is facing – including the Covid pandemic and climate change – there were numerous opportunities for investment in the country. He invited investors of all capacities to the sector, with the promise of adequate support from his ministry. 

“My ministry is championing several policy reforms all meant to create a conducive environment for the business of agriculture. The ministry is also implementing the Affordable Inputs Program which will ensure that smallholder farmers access inputs to increase productivity,” he said. 

The minister also presented the preliminary design of his government’s “Mega-Farms” concept, for which investment is now open. The project is an initiative of H.E. President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, who seeks to introduce mega farms across the country to lead the agricultural commercialization plans for making his country food secure. 

The Mega Farms are envisioned as large-scale farms run as a collaboration between private investors and the government to produce critical agricultural products, but to also serve as centers of excellence for agronomy and innovation, and providing outreach services to communities around them.   

H.E. Dessalegn commended H.E. President Lazarus Chakwera’s leadership in the commitment to the country’s agricultural transformation agenda as well as articulation of Malawi’s food system pathways in line with the country’s Malawi 2030 Agenda evident in the appointment of the Minister of Agriculture to be the national convener and champion for food systems transformation.

In addition, the Board Chair reiterated AGRA’s commitment towards supporting food systems transformation interventions, while highlighting the multifaceted challenges facing Africa and indeed Malawi that require systematic approaches, hence, the emphasis on food systems approaches with the theme of this year’s AGRF Summit, ‘Bold Actions for Resilient Food Systems.’

“‘There is an opportunity to reflect on the coordinated and bold action by leaders, institutions, investors, coalitions and individuals towards translating our commitments highlighted in our different strategies to action and progress on the ground,’ he said. 

The 158 guests (65 physical, and 93 virtual) at the launch agreed that Malawi is ripe with numerous opportunities that require bold and coordinated action.With a population of over 20 million and sitting on 3.6m Hectares of arable land, Lake Malawi that stretches across most of the country, Malawi has enormous potential to feed itself and Africa (World Bank, 2018).

Note to editors:

About AGRA

AGRA is a farmer-centered, African-led, partnerships-driven institution that is working to transform smallholder farming from a solitary struggle to survive to a business that thrives. In collaboration with its partners—including African governments, researchers, development partners, the private sector and civil society— AGRA’s work primarily focuses on smallholder farmers – men and women who typically cultivate staple crops on two hectares or less. AGRA is now recognized across the continent as a strong voice for African rural development, a prosperous agricultural economy, and for supporting thousands of small African businesses and millions of African families to improve agriculture as a way of ensuring food security and transforming their livelihoods.

More information: https://agra.org ; Rebecca Weaver, rweaver@agra.org; Sophie L Chitedze, SChitedze@agra.org 

About the AGRF

The AGRF is an annual gathering that convenes top leaders, thinkers and implementers in African agriculture across private, public, development and non-profit partners, and academic and research sectors. The AGRF seeks explicitly to draw these stakeholders around a common purpose – to unleash the full potential of Africa’s millions of smallholder farmers and their families who earn their livelihoods from small-scale farms and provide about 80% of the food and agricultural products consumed across the continent. 

More information: https://agrf.org

The Women Agripreneurs of the Year Awards (WAYA) has announced the 2022 edition’s Top 15 applicants.  The outstanding women agripreneurs were selected by a panel of independent judges under three categories; Outstanding Value-adding Enterprise, Female Ag Tech Innovator, and Young Female Agripreneur (Rising Star). The selected Top applicants are from nine African countries: Benin, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The applicants were selected from a total of 1478 applicants from 38 African countries.

The Winners will be announced during the AGRF Summit at the First Ladies’ Special Event on 7 September 2022. The event will be presided over by attending First Ladies from across Africa. The awards ceremony will take place physically at the Kigali Convention Center, Kigali, Rwanda. The theme of the session is: ‘Increasing Access to Healthy Diets in the AU Year of Nutrition’. The ultimate winners will each receive a cash prize of USD 20, 000.  

WAYA is an AGRA-led recognition scheme that was launched and implemented in 2021, with very promising prospects for reaching and recognizing more women agribusiness leaders in subsequent years. TheAwards seek to spotlight excelling female agribusiness leaders and promote them as positive role models. “Given the undeniable contribution of women to African agriculture and rural economies, a female-focused award scheme is an important way to showcase success – AGRA remains steadfast in its efforts to promote and support women’s agripreneurship in Africa,” said Vanessa Adams, Strategic Partnerships & Chief of Party.

Meet the WAYA 2022 Top 15 Applicants (names in alphabetical order):

Young Female Agripreneur (Rising Star)

1. Aline Gaju; Managing Director, Germin8 LTD (Rwanda)
2. Edith Mpoto; Managing Director, Nkhotakota Steadfast Cooperations for Youth (Malawi)
3. Fatou Manneh; Founder, Jelmah Herbella (the Gambia)
4. Janefrances Nkiruka Ighosewe;  Founder and CEO, Something Lite Greek Yogurt (Nigeria)
5. Vanessa Aisha Limann; CEO, Vanelim Enterprise (Ghana)

Outstanding value-adding enterprise

1. Célia Chabi; CEO, KIEL BIEN-ÊTRE (Benin)
2. Dorah Kwamboka Momanyi; Founder and CEO, iPop Africa Limited (Kenya)
3. Judith Marera;  Founder and CEO, Lanforce Trading (Pvt) Ltd (Zimbabwe)
4. Oluwaseun Sangoleye; Mum in Chief/CEO, Baby Grubz (Nigeria
5. Precious Awesome; CEO, Awesome God Agro Allied Industries Limited (Nigeria)

Female Ag Tech Innovator

1. Esther Irine Nell; Chairperson, Pella Food Garden Cooperative (South Africa)
2. Ogola Lois Kange; CEO Smiley’z Mobile Kitchen Limited (Smiley’z Foods) (Nigeria)
3. Oluyemisi Iranloye; Managing Director, Psaltry International (Nigeria)
4. Susan Kahumbu; CEO, Green Dreams TECH Ltd (Kenya)
5. Uwintwari Liliane; CEO,Mahwi Tech (Rwanda)

To register to attend the AGRF Summit and the WAYA Awards, please click here: https://bit.ly/3vudV70

About AGRA

Founded in 2006, AGRA, is an African-led African-based organization that seeks to catalyze Agriculture Transformation in Africa. AGRA is focused on putting smallholder farmers at the center of the continent’s growing economy by transforming agriculture from a solitary struggle to survive into farming as a business that thrives. As the sector that employs the majority of Africa’s people, nearly all of them small-scale farmers, AGRA recognizes that developing smallholder agriculture into a productive, efficient, and sustainable system is essential to ensuring food security, lifting millions out of poverty, and driving equitable growth across the continent. www.agra.org

More information:

Mejury Shiri, mshiri@agra.org; Rebecca Weaver, rweaver@agra.org

• H.E. Dessalegn paid a courtesy call to H.E. Chakwera to discuss matters around food system transformation
• H.E.  Dessalegn pitched a Malawian Agricultural Transformation Agency, which H.E. President Chakwera agreed to, promising support in fast-tracking it

August 2, 2022: Lilongwe, Malawi – The former Prime Minister of Ethiopia and current Board Chairman of AGRA, H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, on Monday, 1^st August 2022 met with Malawi’s President H.E. Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, for dialogue on his country’s food system priorities.

During the meeting, H.E. Dessalegn recognized H.E. Chakwera’s work in advancing agriculture as a key priority for the development of his country, citing the prominent position of the sector in his Agenda 2063 first 10 year plan.

The AGRA Chair further commended President Chakwera’s leadership in the development and articulation of Malawi’s food system pathways, game changing solutions and commitment to a holistic food system transformation that delivers on the 2030 Agenda.

In addition, H.E. Dessalegn proposed the establishment of an Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) in Malawi.

“We need multiple agencies to work together and this calls for an institution to have binding effect on delivery. ATA is an important institution that IFAD, AGRA, BMGF and McKinsey are supporting to establish to unlock bottlenecks by Malawian institutions… Support can be accessed through the ATA on transforming the economy through the establishment of agro-processing areas to double production and resolve market and processing issues as was experienced in Ethiopia through the ATA,” said H.E. Dessalegn.

In response, H.E. President Chakwera said:

“Working with AGRA is a great advantage for us as a nation that will enable it not only to feed itself but also move from subsistence to commercialization. So, when you talk of ATA, this is more than welcome, and we could fast track that because local cooperatives and anchor farms will benefit a lot… With AGRA and ATA, we can succeed!”

The discussion also touched on AGRA’s areas of support to the Malawian government, including policy design, flagship development and a food system transformation action plan.

H.E. Dessalegn further used the opportunity to invite H.E. Chakwera to the AGRF Summit, which is set to take place in Kigali, Rwanda from September 6-9, an invitation that the latter promised to seriously consider despite the stringent restrictions on international travel by his government as a measure for economic rejuvenation.

The meeting came just two weeks after H.E. Dessalegn visited Zambia on a three-day trip that saw him hold audience with H.E. President Hakainde Hichilema, on the strategies for fast-tracking Africa’s food system transformation.

-ENDS

Note to editors:

About AGRA

AGRA is a farmer-centered, African-led, partnerships-driven institution that is working to transform smallholder farming from a solitary struggle to survive to a business that thrives. In collaboration with its partners—including African governments, researchers, development partners, the private sector and civil society— AGRA’s work primarily focuses on smallholder farmers – men and women who typically cultivate staple crops on two hectares or less. AGRA is now recognized across the continent as a strong voice for African rural development, a prosperous agricultural economy, and for supporting thousands of small African businesses and millions of African families to improve agriculture as a way of ensuring food security and transforming their livelihoods.

More information: https://agra.org ; Rebecca Weaver, rweaver@agra.org; Sophie Chitedze, SChitedze@agra.org

About the AGRF

The AGRF is an annual gathering that convenes top leaders, thinkers and implementers in African agriculture across private, public, development and non-profit partners, and academic and research sectors. The AGRF seeks explicitly to draw these stakeholders around a common purpose – to unleash the full potential of Africa’s millions of smallholder farmers and their families who earn their livelihoods from small-scale farms and provide about 80% of the food and agricultural products consumed across the continent.

More information: https://agrf.org

Next week, Agnes Kalibata, former Minister of Agriculture of Rwanda and President of AGRA, will be taking part in the first Summit of Africa and the Americas on Agrifood Systems, the objective of which is to strengthen cooperation between the two continents in the face of the global threats to food security.

San Jose, 21 July 2022 (IICA) – The President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Agnes Kalibata, told senior officials from more than 20 countries in the Americas that the two continents are working together to “produce more and better-quality food” at a time when the global situation poses a threat to food security.

Kalibata, former Minister of Agriculture of Rwanda and the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the 2021 Food Systems Summit, addressed the ministers, secretaries, and other representatives of more than 20 countries in the Americas taking part in this year’s meeting of the Executive Committee of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), in Costa Rica.

Next week, the head of AGRA will also participate in the first Summit of Africa and the Americas on Agrifood Systems, the aim of which is to strengthen cooperation between the two continents in the face of the global threats to food security.

The forum is being organized by IICA, the African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). The partners are convinced that the two continents face similar challenges in achieving agrifood system transformation and will benefit from the deepening of discussions and the sharing of experiences designed to foster mutual collaboration within the framework of South-South Cooperation.

The ministerial meeting will be inaugurated on 27 July by the President of AGRA, the Director General of IICA, Manuel Otero, and the Chief Executive Officer of AUDA-NEPAD, Nardos Bekele-Thomas.

“In January of this year, the agriculture ministers of Africa and the Americas agreed to work together. We agreed to share ideas about nutrition, people’s health needs, and the need to produce more and better-quality food. After that meeting, it was proposed that a Ministerial Summit be held to make further headway with food assistance. The summit will take place 27-29 July in Costa Rica. IICA, AGRA, and the African Union Development Agency are working together to support our member states, to get the most out of this Summit,” the former minister remarked.

“I know that in recent times the countries of the Americas have faced similar challenges to the African countries. Amidst the challenges, African scientists have made great strides in developing high-yielding, highly nutritious, drought-tolerant crop varieties. We have also seen scientists from the Americas make great strides in productivity,” she added.

“Given the progress made and the challenges posed by climate change, we will only achieve sustainability and success more quickly by identifying and building on our different strengths. I therefore ask you to join me in developing stronger food systems for people, the planet and prosperity,” Kalibata urged.

The Africa-Americas Summit will be taking place at a time when the war in Eastern Europe has destabilized world commodity markets and global trade flows, triggering surges in the prices of food and raw materials around the world.

The situation in Eastern Europe is also negatively impacting recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa and the Americas, where food security has worsened in many countries and is expected to continue deteriorating.

The face-to-face meeting, which will also include contributions from online participants, will be the most important event to be held so far as part of the joint efforts that leaders in Africa and the Americas have been making to align their priorities based on productive, environmental, cultural, and historical similarities and shared challenges related to agrifood systems.

The Summit is expected to provide a clear understanding of the role that Africa and the Americas can play in shaping future global food and environmental security; and open up opportunities for cooperation in the areas of science, technology, and innovation, with a view to building sustainable and resilient agricultural systems.

The Summit will be used to identify areas of joint work between the two regions and specific topics for cooperation, as well as the operational and financial mechanisms required to mobilize the necessary resources. The ministers and officials taking part will focus on five cross-cutting issues that are regarded as key to increasing the productivity, inclusiveness, and sustainability of agrifood systems:

• Science, technology, and innovation, including biotechnology
• Climate change and resilience
• Digital agriculture
• Institutional innovations and policies for social inclusion, safety nets, health and nutrition, and the recovery of degraded natural resources

• Fostering of a fairer and more transparent international food trade system

More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int

Originally posted on https://www.iica.int