Platform for African – European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

AGRF: First day of the virtual meeting: a selection

8-11 September 2020.
 AGRF Virtual Summit 
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tenth Annual Summit of the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), which brings together over thousands of delegates from governments, the civil society, the private sector, research community and development partners will be held virtually from 8-11 September 2020 and will be co-hosted by the Government of Rwanda and the AGRF Partners Group.

8 September 2020. THEME FOR THE DAY: RESILIENCE

Opening Ceremony - Official Ceremony
  • Dr. Agnes Kalibata President, AGRA and Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the 2021 Food Systems Summit Bio 
  • Hon. Dr. Gérardine Mukeshimana Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Rwanda H.E. 
  • Hailemariam Dessalegn Former Prime Minister of Ethiopia and Chair, AGRF Partners Group Bio 
  • Rt. Hon. Édouard Ngirente Prime Minister of Rwanda Bio 
  • Moderator: Mr. Jeff Koinange (MBS) Journalist/Talk Show Host, Citizen TV
Opening Ceremony - Eminent Leaders in Conversation (see the recording) 
A pace-setting session involving eminent leaders from Africa and around the world discuss the status of food systems in Africa and the urgent need to build resilient systems. The Leaders will discuss feeding cities through the lens of intra-African food trade, international trade, regional and domestic food supply chains in the context of the COVID-19 Pandemic, and discuss how we can bounce back better, and leverage markets as an engine of economic recovery. 
  • Moderator: Ms. Femi Oke 
  • Hon. Dr. Gérardine Mukeshimana Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Rwanda 
  • Ms. Carla Montesi Director, Planet and Prosperity, European Union 
  • Mr. Dirk Schattschneider, Deputy Director General “Food; Rural development; Natural resources”, Commissioner “ONE WORLD – No Hunger” Special Initiative, BMZ, Germany 
  • Hon. Betty Maina, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development, Kenya Mr. Ted McKinney Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, USA
This year’s AASR focuses on Feeding Africa’s Cities. It assesses the opportunities, challenges and policies required to enable African farmers and agribusinesses to serve these rapidly growing urban food markets. 
  • The main goal is to see how smallholder farmers can Feed Africa’s Cities, drive food security, rural prosperity, and inclusive economic growth. 
  • This touches on essentially every priority that we work on with our focus countries and partners, so it provides a good opportunity for us to bring together viewpoints and lessons to define the agenda and practical next steps with policies, programs, and investments.

Speakers
  • Andrew Cox Chief of Staff and Strategy, AGRA Bio 
  • Dr. Agnes Kalibata President, AGRA and Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the 2021 Food Systems Summit Bio 
  • Prof. Thomas Jayne University Foundation Professor, Michigan State University, USA Bio 
  • Prof. Steven Haggblade Professor International Development, Michigan State University Bio 
  • Ms. Monica Musonda CEO, Java Foods Bio 
  • Dr. Máximo Torero Cullen Chief Economist, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Bio 
  • Ms. Trudi Hartzenberg Executive Director, tralac Bio 
  • Prof. Kangethe Erastus Kiambi Department of Public Health, University of Nairobi Bio 
  • Dr. Ismahane Elouafi Director General, ICBA Bio 
  • Hon. James Nyoro Governor, Kiambu County, Kenya Bio 
  • Prof. Rudy Rabbinge Professor Emeritus in Sustainable Development and Food Security, Wageningen University Bio

Women in Agriculture: Women-led Resilience Strategies
Women agripreneurs and farmers have faced particular challenges during the pandemic. From increased violence to lack of market access, women have had to create new strategies to cope. Hear about the most innovative solutions from input distribution at farmer level to feeding children in cities.
  • Ms. Maya Stewart Managing Director, Lenzie Mills, Malawi 
  • Ms. Cesarie Kantarama President of Ingabo Syndicate - Rwandan Farmers' Union 
  • Ms. Åslaug Marie Haga Associate Vice-President, IFAD 
  • Dr. Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg Director, AWARD, Kenya  
  • Ms. Marygoretti Gachagua Program Officer Partnerships and Special Programs, Kenya EAFF 
Building Resilience through Data & Digital Platforms 
This resilience symposia will narrow in on the theme of increased adaptation and resilience in sub-Saharan Africa’s food systems, by highlighting how innovative agricultural data systems and digital platforms are promoting adaptation and resilience across the food system; especially in the wake of crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the locust outbreak, and famine. This symposia session will showcase applications and programs that are starting to have real impact and/or impact at scale.
  • Ms. Atsuko Toda Director for Agricultural Finance and Rural Development, AfDB 
  • Ms. Martha Haile Africa Vice President, WeFarm 
  • Ms. Alesha Miller Vice-President, Strategy and Partnerships, Digital Green 
  • Mr. Brian King Leader, Platform for Big Data in Agriculture, CGIAR 
  • Ms. Salah Goss Senior Vice President, Global Markets, Humanitarian & Development, Mastercard 
  • Dr. Charity Wayua Senior Research Manager at IBM Research, Kenya 
  • Dr. Caroline Mwongera Mugambi Theme Leader, Policies and Institutions, Alliance of Biodiversity International, CIAT 
  • Mr. Joseph Anampiu Commercial Unit Leader, East Africa, Corteva Agriscience 
  • Mr. Ayodeji Balogun CEO, AFEX Commodities Exchange Limited Bio

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