AGRA

Dubai, UAE, December 10, 2023: AGRA and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) have today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to scale agriculture and food systems across Africa. The MOU seeks to foster cooperation for the development and implementation of research and developmental programs to improve the well-being of farmers in Africa. It will kick off with at least four countries for the first year, increasing to 15 targeted countries across the continent.

The pact was signed by AGRA President Dr. Agnes Kalibata and GGGI’s Mr. Mahamadou Tounkara, Regional Director, Middle East & North Africa on the sidelines of the just concluded COP28 held in Dubai.

Commenting on the MOU, Dr. Kalibata said it was one of the major highlights of the meeting held in Dubai where she served on the COP28 President’s advisory committee.

“We are delighted with this partnership that will anchor our efforts to transform and improve the lives of African farmers. This co-operation will catalyse rapid improvements in food systems as well as further entrenching sustainable agriculture on the continent,” said Dr Kalibata.

As part of the MOU, the parties will jointly mobilise funding for technical assistance to members and partner states to help them transform their food security plans to green bankable solutions that can attract investors.

The two institutions will also develop innovative finance instruments such as green bonds and green sukuk to reduce risk and encourage investments in the Middle East and Africa as well as support countries towards climate resilience and low emissions. The MOU will also foster climate-smart agricultural technology solutions and promote green farming in the selected countries.

“We need to have collaborative efforts to tackle the urgent issues of food security, climate crisis, and rural livelihood vulnerability. We believe that by supporting farmers to apply climate smart technology solutions on their farms and transitioning them towards green farming is a critical step in helping them increase agricultural productivity, food security and reduce harmful emissions,” said Mr. Tounkara.

Under the MOU, GGGI will provide technical assistance for the design and structuring of projects that support food security and food systems transformation as well as mobilise public and private investments from investors in the Middle East. AGRA will support the implementation of activities and commit resources to support the technical assistance in rolling out the plans.

About GGGI
The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) was founded as a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization in 2012 at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development. GGGI supports its Member States in transitioning their economies toward a green growth model that simultaneously achieves poverty reduction, social inclusion, environmental sustainability, and economic growth. With 48 Member States and over 22 Partner countries and regional integration organizations in the process of accession, GGGI delivers programs and projects in over 40 countries. GGGI’s work contributes to its Member States’ efforts to fulfill the Sustainable Development Goals and the Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement. GGGI is facilitating the Africa and Middle East SAFE Initiative, launched at COP28, a USD 10 billion public-private partnership, coordinating diverse stakeholders for climate-resilient agriculture and sustainable food systems in Africa and the Middle East.

About AGRA
AGRA is an African-led alliance 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. Founded in 2006, at a time when agricultural development was emerging from a 20-year decline characterized by minimal growth and investment in the sector, AGRA’s mission is to catalyze and sustain an agricultural transformation in Africa through innovation-driven productivity increases and access to markets and finance that improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. AGRA serves as the secretariat of the Africa’s Food Systems Forum (AFS Forum), (AFS Forum Secretariat) which is a coalition of leading actors in African Agriculture (hereinafter referred to as “the AFS Forum Partners Group”) focused on putting farmers at the center of the continent’s growing economies