Prime
Seven African presidents to discuss food supply at AGRF forum
Various participants following discussions at the meeting of the African Food Systems Forum (AGRF) in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
Photo | Ericky Boniface
What you need to know:
- The summit, which began on Tuesday of this week, provides an opportunity for different African players to discuss their plans for feeding the continent’s millions of hungry people
Dar es Salaam. President Samia Suluhu Hassan will today host six other heads of state at the Africa Food Systems Forum (AGRF) that is taking place in the city.
The summit, which began on Tuesday of this week, provides an opportunity for different African players to discuss their plans for feeding the continent’s millions of hungry people.
Mr Gerson Msigwa, the chief government spokesman, said yesterday on the sidelines of the ongoing Agra meetings that at least seven presidents had confirmed their presence.
Apart from President Hassan, Kenya’s William Ruto, Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni, Rwanda’s Paul Kagame, Burundi’s Évariste Ndayishimiye, South Sudan’s Salva Kiir Mayardit, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) Félix Tshisekedi have all confirmed their attendance.
Each of the leaders, Mr Msigwa said, will deliver a speech, and ultimately, a resolution of the meeting will be presented.
“In the evening, guests will be invited to the State House, where the Africa Food Producer Award will be given to recognise the contribution of food production in Africa,” said Mr Msigwa.
Earlier, before the meeting involving other heads of state, President Hassan will address the youth and receive information on how they [Africa’s youth] are engaging themselves in agriculture and their readiness to grab opportunities that the sector presents.
It is anticipated that President Hassan will deliver to the youth her own initiative, known as Building a Better Tomorrow: Youth Initiative for Agribusiness (BBT-YIA), in an effort to enhance the engagement of youth in the agricultural sector for sustainable and improved livelihoods.
Strategically, the President’s BBT project seeks to inspire the youth by implementing a behaviour- and attitude-changing communication strategy towards agribusiness.
It also seeks to empower them through training, mentoring, and coaching, as well as engaging youth in profitable and sustainable management of agribusinesses, among other things.
“The President will then speak to tell the public how she sees the continent of Africa being able to help young people find employment through agriculture,” said Mr Msigwa.
Speaking about the AGRF meeting, Msigwa said the meeting is strategic as it connects Tanzania with stakeholders from the whole of Africa and those outside the continent to promote agriculture.
Apart from raising the budget for agriculture, President Hassan’s administration has also increased the amount the government spends on irrigation.
“We are aware of the large investment that has been made by the government in this sector, and now the budget is close to Sh1 trillion to reform the agricultural sector, which prevents farmers from relying on rain-fed practices,” said Msigwa.
He said that the reforms are aimed at helping farmers use better seeds, have good storage facilities for crops, and help women go into agriculture where they will get benefits after the work they were doing and were not successful.
The budget of the Ministry of Agriculture has been rising for three years in a row; for the year 2022/23 it has risen from Sh751.12 billion to reach Sh970.78 billion in 2023/24 equal to an increase of 29.24 percent.
