Dar es Salaam/Nairobi
The 2021 AGRF Summit was flogged off today 07 09 2021 in Nairobi, hosted by President Uhuru Kenyatta, under the banner “Pathways to recovery and resilient food systems.”
Tanzania, as one of the most food-secure African nations, is expected to feature prominently.
A cross-section of stakeholders in Tanzania gathered at Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) offices in Dar es Salaam to rally more SMEs and other actors to participate at the summit. Tanzania is looked up as the region’s food forte, ready to grow exports and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, who are the majority of its workers.
Mr Geoffrey Israel Kirenga, SAGCOT Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Mr Donald Mizambwa, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) Associate Program Officer, jointly noted that at African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) SUMMIT, Tanzania investment opportunities in the agriculture sector would be on the spotlight, in the event expected to reach over 10,000 participants from diverse parts of the world.
The duo noted that Tanzania has enormous opportunities to play a significant role as a food producer, manufacturer and exporter.
“Our role as a major exporter of maize, rice, soya and other agriculture products has taken shape. What we need to do is to increase productivity, add value and be very consistent. Nations sourcing agriculture produce and goods from Tanzania will gain confidence that we are reliable for the long term, and it is not a one-off thing,” said Mr Kirenga.
At the summit, the Tanzania government will present its flagship agriculture programs and the accruing investment opportunities on Wednesday, September 08, 2021. In what has been budded a year-long deal room, SMEs in Tanzania will seek international partners for collaboration to grow their trade. The country is a significant export of maize and rice, he said.
Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan, since she took reigns of power last March, has made strides in encouraging food exports to Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, which are on the upward surge. Also expected to increase are agriculture exports to India, China, America and Europe, noted Mr Kirenga.
Agriculture in Tanzania is taking greater shape thanks to the improved business environment including more coordination of sector ministries – Agriculture Sector Lead Ministries (ASLMs), under the prime minister’s office, noted Mr Mizambwa
However, Tanzania partly imports sugar, wheat and cooking oil, which if more efforts are made, the east African second-largest economy can produce enough for domestic use and exports.
This year’s AGRF Summit- 7-10 September 2021, under the banner “Pathways to recovery and resilient food systems”, aims to elevate the single coordinated African voice to the UNFSS and identify immediate actions and steps that need to be taken to accelerate progress and recovery towards inclusive agricultural transformation.
The AGRF is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture, bringing together stakeholders in the agricultural landscape to take practical actions and share lessons that will move African agriculture forward. Under AGRF’s current strategy, the Forum is mainly focused on driving progress of the Malabo Declaration by 2025 as the priority set of commitments African Heads of State and Government have made to strengthen agricultural development at the center of the continent’s overall development and progress.
About the AGRF Partners Group
The AGRF Partners Group is made up of 26 leading actors in African agriculture all focused on putting farmers at the center of the continent’s growing economies. Members include: African Development Bank (AfDB), African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP), African Union Commission (AUC), Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Bayer AG, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CGIAR System Organization, Corteva Agriscience, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), Government of Rwanda, Grow Africa (AUDA-NEPAD), Heifer International, IKEA Foundation, International Development Research Center (IDRC), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Mastercard Foundation, OCP Group, Rockefeller Foundation, Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU), Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH), Syngenta Foundation, The Tony Blair Institute, UPL Limited, US Agency for International Development (USAID), Yara International ASA.