Platform for African – European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

African Green Revolution Conference (2)

5 - 9 September 2022. Kigali Rwanda AGRF 2022. The AGRF, Africa’s premier forum for food and agriculture, had its 12th annual summit under the theme ‘Grow, Nourish and Reward – Bold Actions for Resilient Food systems’.

6 September Extract of the main programme

06/09 Opening Plenary – Advancing Food Systems in A Time of Crises: What is at Stake for African Food Systems

  • Dr. Agnes Kalibata, President, AGRA and Host of the AGRF Secretariat 
  • Hon. Gerardine Mukeshimana, Minister for Agriculture and Animal Resources, Rwanda 
  • H.E. President of Zimbabwe 
  • Ms. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, CEO, AUDA-NEPAD 
  • Framing Remarks: What is at Stake Mr. Acha Leke, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Co 
  • Hon. Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, South Sudan 
  • Hon. Minister of Agriculture, Nigeria 
  • Hon. Gerardine Mukeshimana, Minister for Agriculture and Animal Resources, Rwanda 
  • Hon. Dr. Delwendé Innocent Kiba, Minister of Agriculture, Animal Resources and Fisheries, Burkina Faso 
  • H.E. Ambassador Gabriel Ferrero, CFS Chair, Ambassador at Large Global Food Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Spain
  • Mr. Svein Tore Holsether, CEO, Yara International ASA 
  • Mr. Kolyang Palebele, President, Pan-African Farmers Organization (PAFO
  • Mr. Abraham Vermeulen, President Africa Middle East, Corteva Agriscience
  • Ms. Hindou Ibrahim, Coordinator, Association of Peul Women and Autochthonous Peoples of Chad (AFPAT) and SDG Advocate

06/09 AASR launch: Accelerating African Food Systems Transformation 


The 2022 report calls for good leadership and coordination, a need to build capacity and capabilities to address food systems, but most importantly the mobilisation of financing from both the public and private sector. The publication focuses on practical pathways to meet these ends.

The report highlights six megatrends shaping the development of agrifood systems in Africa that warrant greater attention by stakeholders. It examines the role of leadership in harnessing collective effort, shared responsibility, greater stakeholder engagement, as well as rallying political will, to achieve food systems transformation in Africa. Further, it presents the investment gap required to trigger and/or sustain Africa’s agro-food transformation reflecting on the requisite human, institutional and systemic capacities and capabilities that are required to achieve agro-food system transformation at scale. And, it recommends priorities for African national governments, development partners and the private sector.

The report states that “Accelerating agro-food transformation in a sustainable and inclusive way is an extremely complex task. It requires an integrated approach, which draws heavily on the cooperation of system actors, with African governments driving the process that facilitates the required change,” adding that addressing the vulnerability of Africa’s food systems requires political will and leadership.
  • Mr. Edward Mabaya, Research Professor, Cornell University and AASR Author 
  • Hon. Oumer Hussien Oba, Minister of Agriculture, Ethiopia
  • Dr. Steven Were Omamo, CEO, New Growth International (NGI) 
  • Ms. Lulama Traub, Chair of the Technical Committee, Regional Network of Agricultural Policy Research Institutes (ReNAPRI) and AASR Author
  • Ms. Anke Oppermann, Head, Decent Work Worldwide, Food and Nutrition Security, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Germany 
  • Mr. Jai Shroff, CEO, UPL 
  • Rt. Hon. Édouard Ngirente, Prime Minister of Rwanda

06/09 Special Event  Agribusiness Dealroom Launch

Panel Discussion: Why do investments in agriculture remain below 5% of all investments on 
the continent despite all commitments and funds? Where is the mismatch?  
  • Moderator: Mr. Frank Braeken, AGRA Board Member  
  • Hon. Rose Mivedor, Minister of Investment Promotion, Togo 
  • Hon. Dr. Jean Chrysostome Ngabitsinze, Minister of Trade and Industry, Rwanda 
  • Minister of Investment, Zambia 
  • Mr. Mauricio Macri, Executive Chairman, FIFA Foundation 
  • Mr. Thomas Essel, Secretary General AFRACA and former Bank of Ghana/GIRSAL 
  • Dr. Beth Dunford, Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, AFDB

    She presented the Agri-SME catalytic financing mechanism 

  • Funding for this initiative, called the Agri-SME Catalytic Financing Mechanism (ACFM), will provide concessional finance and technical assistance to agribusinesses, financial institutions and impact funds so they can make loans to gender-oriented agri-SMEs.

    The Agrifood SME Catalytic Financing Mechanism (ACFM) is a Special Fund, housed at the African Development Bank, that will provide long-term concessional capital complemented by grant-based technical assistance to catalyze increased financing and investment to small and medium enterprises serving the agrifood system in Regional Member Countries.

  • Mr. Lloyd Muposhi, CEO, Africinvest 
  • Paul Russo - Group Chief Executive Officer at KCB Group
Panel Discussion: Closing the deal - Insights from successful transactions 
  • Moderator: Mr. Frank Braeken, AGRA Board Member 
  • Mr. Jerry Parkes, CEO, Injaro Investments and ABC Fund 
  • Mr. Francis Nderitu, Founder, Rain4Tech 
  • Ms. Kudzayi Hove, Founder, Amayi Foods 
  • Ms. Seun Sangoleye, Founder, Baby Grubz 
  • Ms. Victoria Sabula, CEO, Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund AECF 

  • Novel Vaccine and Biological Company Limited (NOVABI)
    (Veterinary vaccines), is a Tanzanian local company based in Morogoro that produces a three-in-one poultry vaccine called Tatu Moja vaccine. The vaccine is a unique combination of three vaccines for Newcastle, Infectious Coryza and Chicken Pox diseases that are common in sub-Sahara Africa. The vaccine is thermostable and can be easily stored and administered. The three diseases contribute to 90% of chicken deaths per year. NOVABI collaborated with AECF in 2016 to complete the trial and efficacy test of the vaccine, complete regulatory requirement and begin commercial production of the vaccine. Novel vaccine started production in December 2020. The vaccine is now available in agro-dealers throughout Tanzania and the plan is underway for export in EAC countries.

    "Way back in 2015, three scientists of Sokoine University had a fantastic product. AECF provided them with $350,000  to work with them on good manufacturing practices. And then you have to work with them on calibrating the equipment to be fit for purpose, and then you work with them to navigate the regulatory environment in order to get the approvals and then they can actually present a case to the sophisticated investor, the sophisticated commercial banker who actually wants to see a functional business. You're figured out your factoring operations, you figured out what capital structure will be able to work for you and then they provide you capital and. The CRDB Bank came in and provided them with $350,000 initially as a term loan and then $650,000 ... but only in 2021.
Panel discussion 3: Official opening of the Agribusiness Deal Room with Co-Chairs  
  • Moderator: Ms. Vanessa Adams, Vice President, Strategic Partnerships & Chief of Party, AGRA 
  • Dr. Donal Brown, Associate Vice President, Programme Management, IFAD 
  • Dr. Agnes Kalibata, President of AGRA and UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on food Systems Summit  
  • Ms. Maura Barry Boyle, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for  Resilience & Food Security, USAID 

06/09 Nourishing Urban Communities, Protecting our Planet – How Cities and Local Governments Are Pioneering Food Systems for the Future 

This session showcased cities and local governments striving to feed their populations with nutritious food, while also improving livelihoods, the environment, and the climate.
  • Moderator: Ms. Betty Kibaara, Director, the Food Initiative, The Rockefeller Foundation, Africa Region Office 
  • Dr. Abebe Haile-Gabriel, Assistant Director-General, Regional Representative for Africa, FAO  
  • Hon. Pudence Rubingisa, Mayor, City of Kigali, Rwanda  
Panel Discussion: 
  • Dr. Gunhild Stordalen, Founder and Executive Chair, EAT Forum and Founder, Food Forward Consortium  
  • Hon. Fabrice Rulinda, Mayor, Entebbe Municipal Council, Uganda and Member, ICLEI Regional Executive Committee  
  • Hon. Elizabeth Sackey, Mayor, Accra, Ghana  
  • Hon. Adanech Abiebie, Mayor, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia  
  • Prof. Joao Bosco Monte, President, Brazil Africa Institute and General Coordination of the Brazil Africa Forum  
  • Mr. Paul Currie, Director for Urban Systems, ICLEI Africa 
  • Ms. Wangari Kuria, Founder and CEO, Farmer on Fire 
  • Ms. Josephine Favre, President, African Association for Vertical Farming (AAVF) 
  • Dr. Abdoulaye Mohamadou, Executive Secretary, Permanent Interstate Committee for drought control in the Sahel, CILSS 

06/09 Partnering for Sustainable Productivity

The session deliberated on how stakeholders can collaborate to enable Africa produce nutritious food
sustainably. Some of the issues included climate smart technologies, last mile delivery
initiatives and partnership with private sector.

Fireside Chat 
  • Moderator: Ms. Wanjira Mathai, Managing Director for Africa and Global Partnerships, 
    World Resources Institute 
  • Hon. Dr. Ildephonse Musafiri, Minister of State of Agriculture, Rwanda 
  • Prof. Rattan Lal, World Food Prize Winner 2020 
  • Dr. Robert Bertram, Director, Office of Agriculture, Research and Technology at US Agency for International Development  
Keynote Remarks:  
  • Mr. Sidi Ould Tah, Director-General, Arab Bank for Economic Development of Africa, BADEA 
  • Dr. Simplice Nouala, Head of Division Agriculture and Food Security at the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture, African Union Commission 
Panel Discussion: 
  • Hon. Oumer Hussien Oba, Minister of Agriculture, Ethiopia 
  • Hon. Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Egypt 
  • Ms. Fernanda Lopes Larsen, Executive Vice President Africa & Asia, Yara International ASA  
  • Mr. Mehdi Filali, Vice President Farmer Solutions, OCP Africa 
  • Dr. Michel Evequoz, Deputy Regional Director Rwanda, Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) 
  • Dr. Betty Chinyamunyamu, CEO, National Smallholder Farmers' Association of Malawi (NASFAM)  
  • Dr. Joe DeVries, Founder and CEO, Seed Systems Group 
  • Mr. Theo de Jager, Outgoing President, World Farmers' Organisation and former president of the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) 
  • Dr. Vanlauwe Bernard, Director R4D, Central Africa Hub and Natural Resource Management, Leader of the One CGIAR Excellence in Agronomy 2030 Initiative  
  • Dr. Rudy Rabbinge, Professor Emeritus in Sustainable Development and Food Security, Wageningen University, the Netherlands - Closing Remarks 

06/09 Where does the food systems science and policy agenda go from here?

  • Moderator: Dr. Yemi Akinbamijo, Executive Director of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA
  • Prof. Sheryl Hendricks, Head of Department and Professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics, Extension, and Rural Development, University of Pretoria, South Africa 
  • Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Chief Scientist, FAO 
  • Hon. Minister, Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, South Africa 
  • Ms. Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, Member, Malabo Montpellier Panel
  • Prof. Adipala Ekwamu, Executive Secretary, Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM
  • Dr. Thabbie Chilongo, Board Member, Regional Network of Agricultural Policy Research Institutes (RENAPRI
  • Prof. Jane Nelson, Director of the Corporate Responsibility Initiative, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, US 
  • Mr. Kunal Prasad, Co-Founder, Cropin Technology 
  • Ms. Eleni Gabre-Madhin, Chief Innovation Officer, UNDP 
  • Closing Remarks Mr. Johan Swinnen, Director General, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)

06/09 Special Event – Farmers Forum 

Leaders in a dialogue with African farmers.  
  • Moderator: Mr. Eugene Anangwe, Anchor, CNBC  
  • Mr. Kolyang Palebele, President, Pan-African Farmers Organization (PAFO
  • H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President, Tanzania  
  • H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, Chair, AGRF Partners Group and Former Prime Minister, Ethiopia  
Panel discussion: 
  • Mrs. Massandje Toure-Litse, Commissioner of Economic Affairs and Agriculture, ECOWAS 
  • Mr. Ibrahima Coulibaly, Network of Farmers and Producers Organizations in West Africa (ROPPA)  
  • Ms. Elizabeth Nsimadala, President, Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF
  • Dr. Sinare Yusuf Sinare, President of Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU)
  • Dr. Babafemi O. Oyewole, CEO, Pan-African Farmers Organization (PAFO
  • Mr. Felix Kili, Climate Positive Farmer, Eldoret Rift Valley, Kenya 
  • Ms. Haddy Ceesay, Young Professional for Agriculture Development, The Gambia  
  • Ms. Lilian Sambu, Agribusiness & Agroforestry Value Chain, Dodoma, Tanzania 
  • Dr. Apollos Nwafor, Vice President, Policy & State Capability, AGRA

06/09 Experiences, Lessons and Tools for National Food Systems Transformation

Following last year’s UN Food Systems Summit, this session looked at the state of play in moving from national pathways to food systems strategies, investment plans, and coordination mechanisms that can accelerate action on the ground for people and business.
  • Moderator: Ms. Sylvia Lopez-Ekra, Deputy, UN Food Systems Coordination Hub, FAO
  • Dr. Apollos Nwafor, Vice President, Policy & State Capability, AGRA 
  • H.E. Gerda Verburg, Coordinator, Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Presentations: 
  • Hon. Reuben Phiri Mtolo, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Zambia 
  • Hon. Lee White, Minister of Water, Forests, the Sea, and Environment, Gabon 
  • Ms. Julie Tshilombo Diomi, National Convenor for Food Systems, Office of the President, Democratic Republic of Congo 
  • Hon. Olusola O. Idowu, National Convenor for Food Systems and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Nigeria 

06/09 Crunching the data - Insights from the Food Systems Dashboard and CAADP Food Systems Monitoring 

  • Dr. Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director, GAIN 
  • Mr. Boaz Keizire, Head, Policy & Advocacy, AGRA 
  • Ms. Safia Boly, Executive Director, AATI 
  • Mr. Mandefro Nigussie, CEO, Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency 
  • Mr. Mohamed Manssouri, Director, FAO Investment Centre 
  • Mr. Enock Chikava, Acting Director, Agricultural Development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 
  • Mr. Peiman Milani, Director, Food Initiative, The Rockefeller Foundation 
  • Ms. Astrid Mastenbroek, Senior Policy Advisor Food & Nutrition Security at Inclusive Green Growth, ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands 
  • Ms. Melissa Pinfield, Executive Director, Just Rural Transition
  • Mr. Holger Kray, Practice Manager, Agriculture & Food Security, World Bank

06/09 Scaling up Innovations for Climate-Resilient Food, Land, and Water Systems

This session explored how to support a well-funded science agenda to identify and scale innovations that address today’s interconnected challenges.

Panel Discussion 2 – What are some useful experiences and lessons that would help strengthen food, land and water systems in Africa? 
  • Moderator: Mr. Kwesi Atta-Krah, Director, Country Alignment and Systems Integration (CASI), IITA 
  • Hon. Dr. Jean Chrysostome Ngabitsinze, Minister of Trade and Industry, Rwanda 
  • Dr. Yemi Akinbamijo, Executive Director, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) 
  • Dr. Enock Warinda, Executive Director, Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) 
  • Ms. Danielle Abraham, Executive Director, Volcani International Partnerships 
  • Ms. Beth Wagude, Program Manager Aquaculture, IDH 
  • Mr. George Bigirwa, Deputy Vice President for PID, AGRA 
  • Ms. Geeta Sethi, Advisor and Global Lead for Food Systems, World Bank
  • Ms. Diana Sabrain, CEO, Co-Founder, OneAgrix 
  • Mr. Harold Roy-Macauley, Managing Director, Regions and Partnership, CGIAR and Director General, AfricaRice 

06/09 Leadership, Finance & Accountability: Advancing National Food Systems’ Pathways  

In 2021, African countries united behind a Common African Position on food systems transformation to achieve the 2030 Agenda, and more than two-thirds of them (37 African countries) developed national pathways customized to their unique contexts. In this plenary session, leaders from the global level, continental level, and countries discussed the way forward and where the AGRF community must focus attention to support country progress. 
  • Moderator: Ms. Nozipho Mbanjwa, Anchor 
  • H.E. Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, African Union Commission  
  • Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, Executive Chairman, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change  
  • Mr. Didier Drogba, President, Didier Drogba Foundation    
  • Mr. Martin Bwalya, Director for Agriculture, Knowledge Management and Programme Evaluation (KMPE), AUDA-NEPAD - Framework in Advancing African National Pathways for Food Systems Transformation 
 Country Progress   
  • Hon. Minister for Food and Agriculture, Ghana 
  • Hon. Lobin Lowe, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, Malawi  
  • Mr. Jean-Claude Musabyimana, Permanent Secretary, Minister of Agriculture, Rwanda 
Panel Discussion reflecting Leadership, Finance, and Accountability  
  • Mr. Alvaro Lario, President-Elect, IFAD  
  • Ms. Geeta Sethi, Advisor and Global Lead for Food Systems, World Bank 
  • Mr. Peter Bakker, CEO, World Business Council for Sustainable Development WBCSD
  • Mr. Roy Steiner, Senior Vice President, Rockefeller Foundation  
  • Mr. Ozonnia Ojielo, Resident Coordinator Rwanda, United Nations 
  • Dr. Beth Dunford, Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, African Development Bank (AfDB
  • Dr. Stefanos Fotiou, Director, Office of Sustainable Development Goals, FAO Closing Remarks  

06/09 Generation Africa 

This session brought together young entrepreneurs, innovators, movers and shakers in Africa’s agri-food sector and presents inspiration from 12 young agripreneurs competing for this year’s GoGettaz 


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