|
Policy makers from 15 African Countries meet in Nairobi to
Discuss Policies to Achieve African Green Revolution
As Africa grapples with the
impact of poor crop yields and rising food prices, top agriculture policymakers
and experts will convene in Nairobi on 23rd – 25th June
2008, to collectively develop policies that will trigger a Green Revolution. The
meeting convened by The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), will
form the benchmark for concrete action that the organization will use in its
efforts to reduce poverty and increase productivity in rural Africa. Efforts to
reduce rural poverty in Africa must begin with raising the productivity and
incomes of small holder farmers; the challenge is how to spur development of
supportive policies that will trigger rapid and sustained agricultural
development in Africa’s diverse geographical regions and nations.
The meeting convened by AGRA
to facilitate dialogue among experts in agriculture, African agricultural
policymakers, and the private sector will address this challenge. Honorable William Ruto, Agriculture
Minister of Kenya, will
officially open the meeting and Dr. Harris Mule, Chancellor of Kenyatta
University and Mr. Moise Mensah, former Minister of Finance -Benin,
will be Co-Chairs. Senior Government Representatives from Ethiopia,
Ghana, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania,
Uganda, and Zambia will be present along with leading policy experts from around
the world.
They
will discuss policies to support improved soil and water management, increased
access to seeds, fertilizers, finance and markets. Discussions will also focus on
better terms of trade for the small holder farmers, land ownership, and
infrastructure development in the “breadbasket” areas of Africa – those regions
that have relatively good conditions for farming. The outcome will be a strategy
plan for policy action to guide AGRA in its mission.
PRESENT:
Honorable William Ruto –
Minister for Agriculture,
Kenya
Dr. Namanga
Ngongi
– President
AGRA
Dr. Akin
Adesina – Vice President for Policy and Partnerships, AGRA
Lyimo Peniel – PS Agriculture,
Tanzania
Sec. Gen Mariko Fouseyni –
PS Agriculture - Mali
Mr. Vincent Rubarema
–
PS Agriculture, Uganda
DATE:
Monday 23rd
to
Wednesday 25th,
June 2008
VENUE:
Windsor Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya
TRANSPORT:
Available from Chester
House at 8.00 – 8.30 a.m. Please be available.
About
the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
AGRA is a
dynamic partnership working across the African continent to help millions of
small-scale farmers and their families lift themselves out of poverty and
hunger. AGRA programs develop practical solutions to significantly boost farm
productivity and incomes for the poor while safeguarding the environment. AGRA
advocates for policies that support its work across all key aspects of the
African agricultural “value chain”—from seeds, soil health, and water to markets
and agricultural education.
AGRA’s Board is chaired by Kofi A. Annan, the former Secretary-General of the
United Nations. AGRA’s President is Dr. A. Namanga Ngongi, former Deputy
Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme. With initial
support from the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
AGRA maintains offices in Nairobi, Kenya and Accra, Ghana. For more information,
go to
www.agra-alliance.org
|
