African leaders validate AfDB’s Feed Africa Strategy at African Green Revolution Forum

African leaders and partners in the agriculture sector have validated the Feed Africa Strategy of the African Development Bank (AfDB) as a viable tool towards the transformation of agriculture on the continent.

President Alassane Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire and his counterpart from Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, spoke glowingly of the AfDB’s initiative at the Opening Ceremony of the 2017 African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) in Abidjan.

The AfDB is accelerating agricultural development through its Feed Africa Strategy with planned investment of US $24 billion over the next 10 years.

Outtara highlighted the disconnect between the 60 million population of Africans in agriculture and the paltry 16 percent contribution of the sector to the continent’s gross domestic product (GDP). He, therefore, called on partners to fulfil the US $30 billion in commitments they made at AGRF 2016, stressing the need for more investment and focus on the sector.

At AGRF 2016, many of Africa’s steadfast champions of agriculture pledged more than US $30 billion in investments to increase production, income and employment for smallholder farmers and local African agriculture businesses over the next 10 years.

The President of Côte d’Ivoire justified the need for greater emphasis on agriculture and expressed delight that agriculture was the number one priority on the Bank’s High 5s (AfDB’s development priorities to Light up and power Africa, Feed Africa, Integrate Africa, Industrialize Africa and Improve the quality of life for the people of Africa).

Ouattara congratulated AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina for his achievements at the AfDB.

“When agriculture goes well, every other thing goes well. I would like to encourage other partners to join us,” Ouattara said.

On how agriculture could reduce poverty, the Head of State pointed to how Côte d’Ivoire had expanded the annual growth rate to 9 per cent due largely to a new priority on agriculture since 2012. He then called for greater political will from African Governments and stronger international partnerships for agricultural transformation.

In her address, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf stressed how important it is to turn agriculture around qualitatively and quantitatively.