Accra’s '2019 AGRF’ Attracts Major Financial Commitments To Boost Agriculture

Potential advances in everything from big data to block-chain systems, drones, robotics, and machine learning platforms

By Benson Afful

The recent African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF 2019) held in Ghana represents the first time the Forum has returned to a country that hosted it before.

Ghana hosted the first AGRF in 2010 and is home to the founder of the AGRF and Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), the late Kofi Annan - former Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Ghana has also been a consistent and influential champion of the agricultural transformation agenda across the continent, reliably reinforcing the role of agriculture as Africa’s most potent force for powering equitable economic progress. Deliberations at the forum made it clear that the coordinated efforts of public and private sector actors can unlock the potential of advances in everything from big data to blockchain systems, drones, robotics, and machine learning platforms to overcome many different challenges and generate a host of new opportunities, particularly for Africa’s young, digitally-savvy entrepreneurs.

Digital technologies are seen as capable of addressing barriers in agriculture potentials to provide a host of new economic opportunities across the continent. The theme of this year AGRF, ‘Grow Digital: Leveraging Digital Transformation to Drive Sustainable Food Systems in Africa.’

The Forum included a historic Presidential Summit comprised of Heads of State & Government, eminent persons, and hundreds of leaders and stakeholders present from across Africa’s agriculture and agribusiness sector. The Forum examined how governments, businesses, donors and other partners are delivering on a wide range of political, policy financial commitments. These include US$30 billion in investments pledged at the AGRF in Nairobi, 2016; initiatives that emerged from AGRF 2017 in Abidjan that has added billions of additional dollars; and commitments from AGRF 2018 in Kigali which provided significant new investments.

The highlight of AGRF 2019 was the Agribusiness Deal Room. Over US$200 million in new commitments and generate relationships with the potential to produce partnerships that could draw in billions more.

Series of new initiatives emerged. The potential to deliver new investments in digital technologies and other areas that will animate the ambitious agenda established by Heads of State and Ministers of Agriculture.

The president of the Mastercard Foundation, Reeta Roy, announced a new US$500 million commitment within its Young Africa Works initiative, which will support efforts of young entrepreneurs across the continent to develop economic opportunities in agriculture. Through Young Africa Works, the Foundation will endeavor to help millions of young Africans find meaningful employment in agriculture. The new investment will raise the Foundation’s total commitments to African agriculture to US$1 billion.

The World Bank reiterated a recent pledge to invest US$50 billion in Transforming Africa’s Digital Economy, as well as noted its plans to increase funding for food security initiatives by 25 percent relative to 2017 investments - for a total of US$33 billion in funding over the next four years.

A coalition of donors and philanthropists, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Kingdom’s Department of International Development (DFID), the International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, announced a new initiative with the CGIAR aimed at modernization.

Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the first-lady, presided over a special event focused on scaling-up nutrition-focused initiatives in the region, in advance of the 2020 Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit in Japan.

The Forum showcased the hard work and admirable achievements of African leaders who are blazing a path for Africa and the world, demonstrating how food production in the 21st century can be productive, sustainable, resilient and profitable.

The 2019 Africa Food Prize awarded to two exceptional professionals and successful food producers - Dr. Emma Naluyima, a smallholder farmer and private veterinarian from Uganda, and Baba Diouma, a policy-champion and agricultural entrepreneur from Senegal. Dr. Naluyima has transformed her one-acre plot into a showcase of profitable and environmentally friendly agriculture. Also a prosperous farmer, Baba Dioum has excelled in the policy sphere. Including key reforms that advance the trade dimension of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP).

The AGRF 2019 closed under the leadership of Ghana’s Minister of Food and Agriculture, Hon. Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto. In closing remarks, he urged delegates to seize the opportunities that emerged at the Forum to deliver on investments and commitments which will consolidate the coming decades as Africa’s Century.

AGRF Partners Group agreed, the Republic of Rwanda will host 2020 AGRF Forum. And serve as the long-term home country of the Forum, going forward.

The AGRF has taken place in eight different countries over the last decade, ensuring that awareness, models, lessons, and the political- will be required to drive an inclusive agricultural transformation in Africa grew steadily across the continent.

At the end of its first decade, the AGRF will now adjust its approach and adopt a “home and away” model, whereby the Forum will alternate between hosting the event in Rwanda in even years and different host countries across the continent in alternate years.