Tanzania reaps big as Africa Food Systems Summit concludes

The four-day conference attracted about 5,400 participants from around the world to discuss issues around the African food systems which are hit by the impact of Covid-19 pandemic, Russia-Ukraine war and climate change, among other global challenges.

The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Hussein Bashe said yesterday that various development stakeholders have pledged to help Tanzania make progress in agriculture while promising to put money into different areas including irrigation projects which dominated the signed deals.

"We have issued a declaration that farmers do not need assistance but their right share in the financial systems," he said.

He said that ministers for agriculture in Africa will be meeting to identify priority areas in which the funds from development stakeholders coming to the continent should be invested in, to eliminate poverty.

Mr Bashe said that in making the meeting a success, Tanzania will be ready to collaborate with the African Green Revolution Alliance (Agra) to coordinate the meeting for identifying the priority areas.

"We will organize a meeting of ministers of agriculture in Africa to identify priority areas in which the funds from development partners should go," said Mr Bashe, noting that the meeting will focus on sharing strategies.

"We agreed to find money and in this, the World Bank has promised $300 million for irrigation," said Mr Bashe.

According to him, the African Development Bank has promised to provide $100 million for the Build a Better Tomorrow (BBT) initiative which seeks to enrol more youth into farming in Tanzania, while Agra and CRDB Bank committed $40 million $50 million respectively.

He further noted that the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has pledged $60 million for the cultivation of vegetables and fruits and the BBT project.

In another development, Mr Bashe said Agra in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) has decided to launch an office that will stimulate reforms in the agricultural sector, in a three-year project.

"This will also go hand in hand with developing a strategic plan for the reform of the sector until 2050,” he said. He made the remarks when submitting the Ministerial Statement at the summit themed “Recover, Regenerate, Act: Africa’s Solutions to Food Systems Transformation.”

"We will complement each other across ministries within the country — Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, Environment, Trade, industry, Energy, Health, Finance, and beyond and work in a coordinated manner," he said.

Speaking during the closing ceremony of the meeting, deputy Prime Minister, Mr Doto Biteko said the summit is unlocking political commitments and exploring the pathway and action needed to revolutionize the agricultural sector.

"The summit deliberated several issues including finance, climate change and other challenges. We will take what has been discussed here to develop the sector," he said.

Minister for Livestock, Mr Abdallah Ulega said Africa and the rest of the world are recovering from Covid-19, climate change, and the war between Ukraine and Russia.

"Breaking down gender barriers will lead to a more inclusive and equitable food system," he said.

He noted that there was a need to integrate smart agriculture practices into food systems and for Africa to be able to feed itself and the world, it must promote investment in value addition, and controlling post-harvest losses. Agra president, Dr Agnes Kalibata said they have 29 partners who have helped in their contribution. According to her, AGRF is the largest agriculture forum globally.

"I appreciate the Tanzania Minister for Agriculture for what he has been able to do and the Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan through her posts on X (formerly Twitter)" she said.

She said the plan for the future needs strong commitments and a clear framework on what everyone is doing.

"It's time to walk our walk by implementing what we have agreed to transform the agriculture sector and join hands to make it happen," she said.