Ghana Hosts AGRF 2019

Ghana is hosting Africa Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) in Accra. The conference which begins on Tuesday 3rd to 6th September, 2019 will discuss among other things issues confronting Agriculture and find solutions that will transform the sector in Africa.

The conference which is on the theme “Grow digital: Leveraging digital transformation to drive sustainable food systems in Africa”. Will evaluate progress made in the past decade in the continent and identify ways to spur Africa’s agriculture with digitalization as a key driver to the agricultural transformation agenda.

African Heads of State and 15+ ministers, policy leadership from African Governments will also show case the progress made and the lessons learned from their agricultural transformation efforts so that they serve as champions for the rest of the continent.

This was contained in a statement issued on Monday 2nd September, 2019, by the AGRF communications team. The aid the

According to the statement, the Government of Ghana under the leadership of H.E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the AGRF Partners Group will co-host the the conference.

The AGRF which was launched on 16th April, 2019 in Accra is
expected to bring together more than 2,300 delegates and high-level dignitaries in the agricultural landscape.

“These dignitaries includes former Heads of State and Government; Agriculture and Finance Ministers; Central Bank Governors; eminent leaders of global and regional development institutions; top industry players from the national, regional, and global private sector among others.

The Forum will among other things”identify and catalyze the enabling policies, programs, and investments to leverage digital transformation to drive sustainable food systems in Africa and also take stock, and learn from compelling evidence across the continent, presented by many of the most inspiring leaders, including young people, turning agriculture into thriving enterprises”.

Farmers will be given an opportunity to demonstrate how the use of technology and better farming methods is able to transform entire communities and nations;

“There will be an announcement of the 2019 Africa Food Prize Winner: Recognition of this year’s laureate and 2019, Africa food prize winner will selected.This will be done by an Independent Prize Committee chaired by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo who looks forward to AGRF hosted in Accra.

The Prize will recognize an extraordinary individual whose outstanding contribution to African agriculture in recent years is forging a new era of food security and economic opportunity for all Africans”.

“The 2019 AGRF is special to Ghana as it coincides with the first anniversary of the late Kofi Annan who was the founding Chairman of AGRA.

It also comes at a special time for Ghana, where the Government of Ghana under the leadership of H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is pursuing an inclusive agriculture transformation through practical solutions to unleash the full potential of Ghana’s millions of small-holder farmers and their families who provide about 80% of the food consumed in our country.

The forum will therefore showcase the outstanding leadership of H.E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Government of Ghana in advancing Ghana’s national agricultural transformation agenda which is linked to the Malabo and sustainable development goals”.

Read The Press Statement Below:

PRESS STATEMENT
AFRICAN GREEN REVOLUTION FORUM- OPENING PRESS CONFERENCE
MONDAY, 2ND SEPTEMBER, 2019
8:00AM-9:00AM
ACCRA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE (AICC)

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen of the Press,

CONTEXT
The Government of Ghana under the leadership of H.E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the AGRF Partners Group will co-host the AGRF 2019 from 3rd to 6th September 2019 at the Accra International Conference Center.

The AGRF is considered the world’s most important and impactful forum for African agriculture, bringing together stakeholders in the agricultural landscape to take practical actions and share lessons that will transform African agriculture.

The theme for this year’s AGRF is “Grow Digital: Leveraging Digital Transformation to Drive Sustainable Food Systems in Africa.”

This year’s AGRF was launched on 16th April, 2019 at the Kimpinski hotel, Accra and that marked the beginning of a series of events and preparations towards a successful AGRF. I am happy to inform you that, Ghana has put in place all the necessary measures and is ready to host this year’s AGRF successfully.

Ghana is expecting more than 2,300 delegates and high-level dignitaries to participate in this year’s AGRF. These include as currently confirmed: current and former Heads of State and Government; Agriculture and Finance Ministers; Central Bank Governors; eminent leaders of global and regional development institutions; top industry players from the national, regional, and global private sector; mobile network operators; technology leaders and agri-preneurs; and lead representatives of farmer organizations and key non-governmental implementing partners.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE AGRF 2019`

The 2019 AGRF is special to Ghana as it coincides with the first anniversary of the late Kofi Annan who was the founding Chairman of AGRA. It also comes at a special time for Ghana, where the Government of Ghana under the leadership of H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is pursuing an inclusive agriculture transformation through practical solutions to unleash the full potential of Ghana’s millions of small-holder farmers and their families who provide about 80% of the food consumed in our country.

It will therefore showcase the outstanding leadership of H.E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Government of Ghana in advancing Ghana’s national agricultural transformation agenda which is linked to the Malabo and sustainable development goals

The AGRF 2019 will also evaluate how far the continent has progressed in the past decade and identify ways to spur Africa’s agriculture with digitalization as a key driver to the agricultural transformation agenda.

The Forum will particularly identify and catalyze the enabling policies, programs, and investments to leverage digital transformation to drive sustainable food systems in Africa. Given the unprecedented growth and adoption of digital technologies, Africa has an opportunity to leapfrog the agricultural transformation agenda.

The forum will take stock, evaluate actions, and learn from compelling evidence across the continent, presented by many of the most inspiring leaders, including young people, turning agriculture into thriving enterprises.

Farmers will demonstrate how the use of technology and better farming methods is able to transform entire communities and nations; Ghana and other public sector thought leaders will share experiences in delivering policies and investments to advance jobs and food security; while private sector champions and agripreneurs will showcase their efforts in innovation and opening up scalable and sustainable market opportunities in Africa’s evolving food systems. Specifically, the AGRF 2019 aims to:

i. Follow up on the 2017 and 2018 commitments: Showcasing progress made on commitments of the last two years to advance political and economic contributions to African Agriculture while aligning what is needed to support the Malabo Declaration and the SDGs.
ii. Political and Policy Leadership from African Governments: Showcasing leadership of African Heads of State and 15+ ministers, particularly the progress made and the lessons learned from their agricultural transformation efforts, so that they serve as champions for the rest of the continent.

iii. Political and financial support from development partners and the private sector: In the spirit of the campaign titled “How Will You Lead”, featuring leadership from actors across the sector that are driving current progress, and also highlighting the need for even greater leadership at all levels of the sector in order to achieve the progress needed to meet the shared aspirations for African agriculture.

1. New business deals: marketplace of ideas (deal room) is a new addition to the AGRF and provides opportunities to negotiate financial backing for early-stage agribusinesses to help bring African youth, high growth potential companies and public investments to the fore of sustainable agricultural development. AGRF 2019 will provide a platform for crowdsourcing ideas and financial commitments – and to make sure these are followed through.
2. Announcement of the 2019 Africa Food Prize Winner: Recognition of this year’s laureate, who will be selected by an Independent Prize Committee chaired by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo who looks forward to AGRF hosted in Accra.

The Prize will recognize an extraordinary individual whose outstanding contribution to African agriculture in recent years is forging a new era of food security and economic opportunity for all Africans.

1. The Accra Declaration: A multi-sectoral statement that captures the key messages and commitments from this Forum.EXPECTED OUTCOMES

   AGRF 2019 is expected to result in several concrete outcomes:

2. i) A major showcase moment for the agricultural plans, priorities, and progress of Ghana’s agriculture;
3. ii) Announcement of political and policy commitments to agriculture by several other governments who will also come to showcase their progress and lessons learned;

iii) Progress in unlocking billions of dollars in private investment and finance from the private sector based on previous commitments;

1. iv) New programs and investments from the private sector and development partners in line with the leadership vision of Ghana and other leading countries; and,
2. v) Knowledge sharing and learning from evidence across the continent and globe.The regional and global community will be looking up to Ghana for its leadership to ensure a successful AGRF.

I therefore urge you all to take keen interest in the years AGRF and count on your support to make it a success.

We look forward to seeing you at AGRF 2019. Thank you.

Source: Thepressradio.com/Dickson Boadi