Summit: Unlocking Africa's economic potential

29 November 2021. This event is independent from the EABF organised by the European Commission and the African Union.

The fourth edition of the EU-Africa Business Summit, held in a new hybrid format, discussed the most critical economic challenges shaping the shared future of both continents by bringing influential business leaders, policymakers and experts together.

• The EU is Africa’s largest trade and investment partner, and the main supporter of the African Continental
• Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) with €72.5 million mobilised by the end of 2020. EU-27 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) stock in Africa was
• €222 billion, compared to €42 billion from the US and €38 from China. In 2018, the EU-27 accounted for 32% of Africa’s total trade, whereas China accounted for 17% and the US 6%

The recording of the selected sessions below can be replayed here: https://www.eu-africasummit.eu/euabs2021/

WELCOMEREPLAY

Jutta Urpilainen
European Commissioner for International Partnerships

Albert Muchanga
Commissioner for Trade and Industry of the African Union Commission

Ricardo Mourinho Felix
Vice President of European Investment Bank

Arnaud Thysen
Director General
European Business Summits

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH PHIL HOGANREPLAY

Phil Hogan
Former EU Commissioner for Agriculture

Jerry Fisayo-Bambi
Africanews

AGRICULTURE/ AGRIBUSINESS: A STRONGER AGRICULTURE FOR A FAIRER RURAL DEVELOPMENT

The African agriculture sector must transition toward agribusiness. Globally competitive agriculture will enable Africa to benefit from its natural resources, develop its rural areas and provide opportunities for future generations. To this end, the European Union is assuming its role to support Africa realise its agri-food potential.

In agriculture and agribusiness there is an urgent need for public policies to attract investments and to implement climate smart policies. Innovative financial instruments such as the EU External Investment Plan (EIP) and its specific investment window on agriculture can support job creation for the youth notably in the cocoa sector.

Furthermore, innovative technology and data can help farming communities to thrive through better market access and by enabling products to be sold at higher post-harvest prices. This, in turn, will help generate greater interest from young people in the opportunities offered by the agricultural sector. Cooperation between Africa and the EU is essential to transform African agriculture and feed the growing population.PLAY

Phil Hogan
Former EU Commissioner for Agriculture

Godfrey Bahiigwa
Director of the Agriculture Department, African Union Commission 

Iliass El Fali
Advisor to OCP’s Chairman & CEO and former COO, OCP GROUP

Daniel Nahon
Professor, Aix-Marseille University

Samira Rafaela
Member of the European Parliament

Willi Schulz-Greve
Head of Unit DG Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI), European Commission

GREEN TRANSITION: CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION: FAVOURING RENEWABLE AND SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SOURCES

2021 is a crucial year for Climate Action. The UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) and the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Biodiversity Convention will both address the biggest challenges of the 21st century, Climate change and the Green transition. A stronger partnership between the EU and Africa will maximise the benefits of the Green transition and the circular economy, ensuring that both continents’ economic recovery is well-integrated and aligned to the 2030 Agenda and the African 2063 Agenda Fighting climate change and accomplishing a clean and just energy transition are the biggest challenges of the 21st century. Africa’s energy industry is facing extraordinary circumstances. An ongoing energy transition and new efforts to decarbonize the world are weighing on oil demand. The shale revolution is exacerbating these pressures. New technologies are rapidly developing, including green hydrogen production systems. Finally, the Covid-19 pandemic has wrought havoc on markets around the world, accelerating and intensifying existing trends. The session will address the results of the UN Climate Conferences and provide a framework not only for moving forward in a post-COVID-19 context, but excelling in it.

Federico Maria Grati
Head of Agroenergy Services, ENI

Patrick Child
Deputy Director General, DG ENVI

Steven Stone
Deputy Director, Economy Division UNEP

Shada Islam
Brussels-based commentator and analyst

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH PATRICK CHILD, DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL, DG ENVI

REPLAY

Partick Child
Deputy Director General, DG ENVI

Upcoming webinars for the month of December and beyond

29 November – 20 December 2021. Online course: Harnessing Digital Transformation to Accelerate Youth Agri-Entrepreneurship & Business Growth

30 November - 3 December 2021. 12th GFRAS Annual Meeting, with the topic “How Agroecology and Rural Advisory Services can Support Recovery and Stronger Value Chains”.

1 December from 14:00-15:30 CET / Final webinar in this year’s #FutureFortified series -- Mighty Nutrients: The Power of Vitamins and Minerals to Unlock Human Potential, an official side event of the 2021 Tokyo Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit. Click here to register

1 December 2021. 3pm CET. Webinar About Big Data & Agriculture

2 December 2021. 1:30 PM in CET. Digital Lending for Smallholder Farmers: Lessons Learned from the Field by World Bank

2 December 2021. Jobs for rural youth: the role of local food economies by INTPA Infopoint

• Presentation of a study, co-financed by the EU, that looks in-depth at the current employment situation of youth in the food economy in 5 sub-Saharan African countries (Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia) and 2 Southeast Asian countries (Thailand and Viet Nam).

2 December 2021. Addressing Hidden Hunger in East and Southern Africa: Progress with Biofortification

2 December 2021. Bon Appétit, Intellectual Property for Food Start-Ups

• Global Foodnet brings together food innovators in Kenya, southern Africa, Peru and Finland to develop foods from indigenous foods with indigenous knowledge.

2 et 3 décembre 2021. Forum EPA2021 Connecter les données et la recherche aux politiques pour transformer le secteur agricole.

2 - 4 December 2021. Food Agro Africa
This event will showcase top products, equipment, and machinery presented by exhibitors from over 26 countries.

3 December 2021. An Afternoon of Storytelling by Researchers: Inspiring stories of African Agriculture by AWARD

3 December 2021. Strategies to reduce the use of highly hazardous pesticides by FAO

3 December 2021 - World Soil Day "Halt soil salinization, Boost soil productivity" by FAO

6 December 2021. Forum 2021 on Globalisation and Industrialisation by UNIDO

6 December: Transforming food systems for better nutrition, health, and prosperity
On the eve of the N4G Summit the UNFSS Secretariat hosted this morning a virtual event in support of the Tokyo Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit.

7 - 8 December 2021. Tokyo Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit

6-10 December 2021. THE SEVENTH AFRICA HIGHER EDUCATION WEEK AND RUFORUM TRIENNIAL CONFERENCE

7 December 2021. at 10:00 GMT. Guidelines Towards a secure, peaceful and sustainable pastoralism in Africa / Les lignes directives Vers un pastoralisme sécurisé, paisible et durable en Afrique

• for more details, please contact Mr. Mamadou Koutou (Koutoum@africa-union.org) 

7-9 December 202.1 Africa Agriculture Knowledge Management Conference.

• The Conference aims to showcase the KM products and services of CAADP-XP and generate political support for advancing climate-smart KM for Agricultural development in Africa.
• Keynote Statement Title: A sixth generation of knowledge management for development? Implications for agriculture in Africa - Dr Sarah Cummings – K4DP/ km4dev
• KM4AgD site at https://km4agd.faraafrica.org/ for more details.

8 December 2021. 15:00 CET/CAT. Digitizing Farms and Agriculture and Food Value Chains for Smallholder Farmers: CropIn: A ‘full-stack’ Agri-tech Solution by World Bank

9 December 2021. N4G Summit Side Event: Tools for monitoring diet quality across countries

10 December 2021. Online International Conference Africa and its ecologies: people and nature in the age of climate change + registration by University of Ghent, Belgium

11-14 December 2021. AQUACULTURE AFRICA 2021

13 December 2021. 2-3pm CET. The CGIAR effort to support countries responding to COVID19: how we did it and lessons learned. - Recording of the webinar will be made available on https://a4nh.cgiar.org/covidhub/ for those not able to attend live.

13 December 2021. 14:00 CET. Pastoralism & climate change .

• Please register as soon as possible: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qd2A0Xm9Sx-FCCXucki80w

13-17 December 2021. Fourth ordinary session of the specialized Technical committee on agriculture, rural Development, water and environment (ARDWE)  - closed meeting

15 December 2021. The State of Food and Agriculture 2021 “Making agriFood systems more resilient to shocks and stresses” - by INTPA Infopoint

15 December 2021. 14:00-16:00 GMT. Digital Villages Initiative in Africa 

15-16 December 2021. LEAP-Agri Knowledge Sharing and Stakeholders Engagement Matchmaking event

16 December 2021. National policy dialogue: agricultural commercialisation and smallholder transformation in Nigeria

11 January 2022. Webinar Meeting Consumers Where They Are – Innovative Approaches to Food Safety

18 January 2022. Launch of the Digital Agri Hub in LatinAmerica and the Caribbean

19 January 2022. Webinar Embracing Complexity: How to Implement Integrated Land-Use Initiatives for Sustainable Development - SESSION 1: JANUARY 19, 2022 + SESSION 2: JANUARY 26, 2022

1 February 2022 | Leap4FNSSA - Alliance Building from Model to Practice
3 February 2022 | Leap4FNSSA - AU-EU Platform Co-Development

8 February 2022 | Leap4FNSSA - Linking Research & Practice at Programme Level 

10 February 2022 | Leap4FNSSA - Knowledge Management and Communication Framework 

15 February2022 | Leap4FNSSA -  Future AU-EU Funder’s Collaboration - For Funders Only

3-4 March 2022. The Africa Food Sustainability Summit

9-10 March 2022. Virtual Conference The Future of ICTforAg

9-10 June 2022. Africa Dairy & Drink Innovations Summit & Expo 2021
The dairy, soft and alcoholic beverage sectors may not have a lot in common at first glance, but the line between these sectors has been and is expected to continue blurring into the future, as the pace of innovations gathers steam and as consumer tastes and preferences are transformed

27 June 1 July 2022. Lilongwe. 12th TRIENNIAL CONFERENCE AFRICA POTATO ASSOCIATION

12-15 July 2022. FAO-CIRAD international conference on Geographical Indication.

14-20 August 2022. 31st International Horticultural Congress, IHC2022, Angers, France

How Agroecology and Rural Advisory Services can Support Recovery and Stronger Value Chains

30 November - 3 December 2021. 12th GFRAS Annual Meeting, with the topic “How Agroecology and Rural Advisory Services can Support Recovery and Stronger Value Chains”.

The event will take place online and be hosted in Belgrade, Serbia between 1 and 3 December, 2021. Side Events are planned to take place on November 30th. The Annual meeting is co-organized by the Institute for Science Application in Agriculture, Serbia (IPN/ ISAA) and the South Eastern Europe Advisory Service Network (SEASN).

Objectives:

• Understand how Rural Advisory Service (RAS) practices can respond to limitations imposed by COVID-19 restrictions;
• Discuss how agroecology can support reconstruction of value chains, and how RAS can support upscaling agroecology;
• Understand the role of digital tools in supporting these processes, and assessing what we have learned since the start of the pandemic.

Extracts of the agenda and side events

30/11 Side Event: The Tropical Agriculture Platform towards the Future Advisory Services and Agroecology 

Organizer: Rural Advisory Services for Southeast Asia (RAS-SEA) 

Agriculture in tropical regions has a unique agro-ecology and socio-economic impact on the community. Unprecedented changes related to nature and human activities have affected the agri-food value chains. Considering the challenges of agriculture in the tropics, RAS-SEA organizes an event to share the idea and social innovation on transformation of agriculture/rural advisory services in the new normal era and fast development of digital technology. All stakeholders should have a clear vision for the future of agriculture/rural advisory services. The question is:

• How TAP as a platform can assist farmers, female farmers, and youth to meet their needs? 
• How could extension and advisory services become more professional, sustainable, and agro-ecology oriented?

30/11 Side event: : Extension and Advisory Services Competencies - Research Results & Implications

Public and private extension and rural advisory services are key to sustainable agriculture, resilient livelihoods, and inclusive growth. The Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS) has called for “the new extensionist” (Davis & Sulaiman, 2014), emphasizing the functional competencies needed to help clientele cope with complex challenges such as climate change and nutrition. 

However, the effectiveness of the GFRAS New Extensionist Learning Kit (NELK) learning has never been measured. Researchers thus analyzed learning outcomes of NELK learners globally, as well as their digital readiness, and the links between level of digital readiness and learning outcomes

02/12 Session 2: Agroecology - Acquiring new relevance and a path to reconstruct a post-COVID-19 agriculture 

• Ricardo Borsatto, UFSCar: Agroecology - Challenges when promoting agroecology via Rural Advisory Services: a case-study in Brazil 
• Nagy Anikó, NAK: Practical tools for rural advisors to become facilitators of essential agroeconomical development processes such as short food supply chain or agroecology 
• Miguel de Porras, FiBL Europe: Agroecology and Living Labs, the ALLReady project

Extract of the posters

• Indicators for the Evaluation of Agroecological Technologies in Mexico - INIFAP

How Can Agroecology Deliver Climate Justice in Africa ? A Farmers' Perspective.

26 November 2021. How Can Agroecology Deliver Climate Justice in Africa ? A Farmers' Perspective. 

DOWNLOAD THE CONCEPT NOTE

This pan-African webinar brought together about 200 small-scale farmers and their organisations from East, West, Central and Southern Africa as well as civil society representatives, philanthropic donors and multinational organisations.

Hosted by The Eastern and Southern Africa Small-scale Farmers Forum (ESAFF) and Southern Africa Trust (SAT) in partnership with Climate Justice- Just Transition Donors Collaborative.

Despite landmark programs such as the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP), the Maputo Declaration 2005 and the Malabo Declaration 2014, Africa is still a net food importer. Recent FAO statistics show there is growing poverty, hunger and malnutrition in Africa. The effects of climate change, land degradation and the COVID-19 pandemic make matters even worse, especially for small-scale farmers, who have been hit hard. 

Small-scale farmers, are, however, also the first to adapt and there is a wide range of local solutions championed by small-scale farmers’ organizations. Agroecology has gained some traction in recent years as a more systemic approach to a just and sustainable transformation of agriculture. 

The event focused on three issues:

1. Reflect on results of the recently concluded just ended United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) and the COP26 and what they mean for agroecology and small-scale farming in Africa
2. Debate on how agroecology can be a pathway to climate justice and resilience in Africa,
3. Learn about African small-scale farmers' work and assess needs in the field.

Extracts of the agenda

Setting the scene: Why is agroecology the pathway to climate and social resilience in Africa? 

Reflection on the UNFSS and COP 26 / Brief introduction on Agroecology in Africa / Benefit and opportunities of agroecology in Africa / Challenges facing agroecology / Recommendations moving forward

• Ms Nora Berrahmouni &, Ms Isabel Kuehne, Senior Officers - FAO – Africa 
• Dr. Million Bellay – AFSA General Coordinator

Opportunities, Challenges and Recommendations on the ground: 

Farmer’s voices on agroecology work to promote agroecology, as well as challenges on the ground like lack of supportive policies and finance, land tenure, seed sovereignty, etc. and recommendations to African governments and donors.

• Mai Mpofu – Woman farmers (Overall Situation in Africa) 
• Ms. Mary Sakala – (Woman farmer Zambia (Southern Africa), 
• Ms. Masudio Margaret -woman farmer- Uganda, Eastern Africa 
• Mr. Ibrahim Coulibaly- ROPPA (West Africa) 
• Mr. Nathanael Buka Mupungu - PROPAC (Central Africa) 

2021 Brazil-Africa Forum Commit to Boost Solutions for Food Insecurity, Climate Change

23-24 November 2021. The Brazil Africa Forum is the flagship event of the Brazil Africa Institute, held annually. BAF 2021 bridged North and South. It connected decision-makers from the public and private sectors to share their views on good practices and successful policies to ensure resilient, diversified and climate-smart economies.

The programme was split in four axes, each tackling key themes for the natural resources agenda: land, water, forests and action. Each axis will bring together major stakeholders to discuss action tracks, public-private partnerships and solutions that can bring results for Brazil and Africa in dealing with their own - as well as their shared - challengers.

One of the panels of the two-day forum, themed “Sustainable Agriculture and Food Production: Ensuring Climate-Smart Food Systems,” focused on finding solutions to ensure long-term sustainable development.

Acute food insecurity in Africa has gradually increased over the past years due to several reasons such as regional conflicts, political mismanagement, and economic slowdowns. It has become a critical issue with heavy impacts on ordinary people’s wellbeing. Panelists stressed the fundamental issues that are impeding Africa’s development, especially climate change, hunger, and malnutrition.

23/11 Sustainable Agriculture and Food Production: Ensuring Climate-Smart Food Systems

To achieve economic development, countries must address food security. Societies cannot thrive with people in extreme poverty, facing hunger and malnutrition. Food production, nonetheless, must not be a pretext for environmental negligence.

• How can we structure climate-smart food systems and cope with today’s challenges without exhausting natural resources and harming
• future generations?
• What should countries do to make sure sustainable agriculture is properly incentivized?
• What good practices and solutions can be exchanged between developing nations?

Speakers:

• Mr. Claus Reiner | IFAD Country Director at Brazil
• Ms. Maria Helena Semedo | Deputy Director General of FAO
• Mr. Yemi Akibamijo | Executive Director of FARA
• Mr. Fayçal Benameur | Senior VP for East Africa at OCP Group
• Moderator: Mr. Waiganjo Njoroje| Head of Communications of the UN Committee on World Food Security

There is a need to have a “holistic system-based approach where we should look not only at

production but also transformation and consumption.” Such an approach, would allow countries to produce while bringing the maximum benefit to natural resources. Producing sustainably and putting bio-diversity at the center of the food system will help achieve a more efficient, inclusive, and resilient agri-food system. There is a panoply of climate-smart approaches that can provide solutions to today’s challenges such as nature-based solutions, reducing waste, using organic waste and improving access to renewable energy, she explained. Beyond policies and investments, leadership is crucial to put forward stronger steps to curb climate change globally. Maria Helena Semedo, Deputy Director General of FAO, 

“With the number of events that happened in line with such a topic, we shouldn’t be facing this paradox and fallout. There are 3 aspects of the struggle to address the key concern of the second goal - zero hunger - of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): biological production systems, social infrastructure of the production system, and technology that can contribute to reduce post-harvest losses (PHL). The PHL refers to measurable quantitative and qualitative food loss in the post-harvest system. The system consists of interconnected activities from the time of harvest through crop processing, marketing and food preparation, to the final decision by the consumer to eat or discard the food. To avoid global warming we need to produce more with less, as we are exceeding the limit of the planet,” Yemi Akinbamijo, Executive director of FARA.

23/11 Fostering Cooperation between Brazil and Africa: Sharing Solutions across Crops and Value-Chains (Promoted by AGRA)

Brazil and African countries have an unquestionable similarity in their natural resources. This, in turn, has led to a shared path in the development of agriculture, with good practices, innovations and technologies finding their way between the two regions. As we move towards more sustainable food systems, we must look for ways to approximate Brazilian and African producers, jointly strengthening our value chains to ensure food security for all.

• What lessons for South-South Cooperation were drawn from the UN Food Systems Summit?
• Which crops and value-chains have the greatest potential for the exchange of know-how between Brazil and Africa?
• Which have shown the best results in sustainable agricultural practices?
• How can we actively engage leadership to develop new South-South Cooperation projects in food production?

Speakers:

• Ms. Agnes Kalibata | President of AGRA
• Mr. Hailemariam Desalegn | Chairman of AGRA
• Mr. João Bosco Monte| President of the Brazil Africa Institute
• Moderator: Mr. Fadel Ndiame | Deputy President of AGRA