Today marked a significant milestone in the journey towards transforming Africa’s food systems as the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFS Forum) Summit 2024 was officially launched at the Kigali Convention Center.
The event brought together esteemed leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders from across the continent in a united effort to address the pressing challenges of food security, nutrition, and agricultural development.
The launch ceremony began with a warm welcome from H.E Hailemariam Desalegn, Chair of the AFS Forum Partners Group, who expressed gratitude to the Republic of Rwanda for hosting the event.
In his address, he highlighted the importance of the Summit in advancing food system transformation not only in Rwanda but across the entire continent.
“It is wonderful and a great feeling to be back in this beautiful city of Kigali which I consider as home and to see so many friends, great leaders, and advocates of food systems transformation here in this room,” stated Desalegn.
Acknowledging the challenges faced by African producers, particularly youth and women, in the face of climate change and limited access to resources, Desalegn emphasized the need for transformative actions to be scaled up across the region.
“With deadlines of the Malabo commitments and the UN’s SDGs rapidly approaching on the horizon, we must urgently innovate with the vibrant young people and women to accelerate and scale up our efforts and deliver the change we want,” he urged.
This year’s theme of the Summit, “Innovate, Accelerate, and Scale: Delivering food systems transformation in a digital and climate era,” reflects the urgency of prioritizing innovation, acceleration, and scalability in food system transformation.
H.E Desalegn highlighted the importance of harnessing the latest innovations in technology, policy, and financing to drive progress in food systems transformation.
“Ladies and gentlemen, to accelerate progress in food systems transformation, harnessing the power and potential of the latest innovations in technology, policy, and financing is fundamental, especially in a digital era,” he emphasized.
The 2024 forum is designed to bring together stakeholders to make connections needed to unlock investment and financing opportunities for medium and small enterprises (MSMEs), youth, women, and government-led deals and unleash the potential for faster, widespread food systems transformation across Africa.
H.E Desalegn expressed gratitude to the Government of Rwanda for its strong leadership and continued support for the AFS Forum. He emphasized the importance of collective action in accelerating food systems transformation across Africa.
“There is no doubt that when we come together from 2-6 September of this year, it will be clear which paths we need to take to accelerate this journey towards sustainable, resilient, productive, inclusive, and prosperous food systems at a continental scale, with youth and women at the center, in this digital and increasingly climate-affected era,” he said.
With the launch of the Africa Food Systems Forum 2024 Summit, stakeholders are poised to embark on a collaborative journey towards building a brighter, more food-secure future for the continent.
