WEBINAR: Accelerating Food Systems Transformation in Africa through Agri-Food MSMSEs

31 August 2021. As a part of the Decade of Action for the SDGs, this independent dialogue by MSMEs provided new perspectives, innovations and cross-fertilize positions taken by the African Union and its member states seeking to empower their people to leverage food systems as accelerators of progress to realize the vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and their respective Countries’ long term development visions. 

The dialogue contributed to the articulation of an Africa’s Common Position and cross- fertilize Member States positions on critical food systems by identifying concrete gaps and ideas on how MSMEs can work together to fast-track growth of their businesses in ways that accelerate Food Systems Transformation in Africa

Specifically, the MSMEs Independent Dialogue seeked to achieve the following objectives:

• Mobilize MSMEs from different sectors and across the continent to generate current perspectives, aspirations and ambitions, and map the general trends, institutional, structural and policy bottlenecks impeding the functionality and viability of MSMEs in Africa
• Harvest and recommend key promising and emerging solutions that will fast-track required changes in the Food Systems in Africa
• Plug MSMEs synthesis insights into the ongoing discourse to frame and position issues in pursuit of sustainable and inclusive food systems within the goals and targets set in Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030
• Contribute to Africa’s Common Position on transformative agenda on the UN Food Systems
• Contribute new perspectives and options to the Agenda 2063 and CAADP Malabo Declaration Biennial Reviews.

Related:
Wasafiriri (2021) A Small Business Agenda for the UN Food Systems Summit United Nations Food Systems Summit © 2021, 35 p.

Wasafiri hosted 11 regional and 2 global dialogues, which engaged over 1,200 participants in total. In parallel, we carried out a survey reaching 2,673 SMEs from 137 countries, asking, “How can we boost the role of SMEs in providing Good Food for All?”

The dialogue outcomes and survey responses were central to the development of a final report, which was presented at the UN Food Systems Pre-Summit to raise awareness of the pathways to effectively supporting SMEs in their role as good food providers.This UN Food Systems Pre-Summit session highlighted key learnings from the final report, supported by insights from SMEs and food systems leaders. The closure of the event was marked by the public launch of the SME Pledge. The session, report and SME Pledge received global media coverage.

• READ THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
• READ THE FULL REPORT (ENGLISH ONLY)