Within the context of the Agricultural Research and Innovation Fellowship for Africa (ARIFA) programme, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), as the Secretariat of this programme, convened the 10th ARIFA Steering Committee (SC10) meeting on 21st February 2023 at the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) premises in Abuja, Nigeria.
The meeting was convened to review the progress made since the programme commenced in 2021, review the financial reports, endorse the workplan for 2023 and to map out the strategic direction for the programme beyond 2023.
FARA is the current Chair of the Committee. The FARA team was led by Executive Director (ED) Dr. Yemi Akinbamijo, who was received by Arc. U. Wogu. Director, Executive Secretary’s Office) representing the Executive Secretary (ES) of TETFund, Arc Sunny Echono. Other senior members of the Fund present at the meeting were Barr Abubakar Adamu, Director Academic Staff Training and Development (ASTD) and his team, as well as staff from the Directorate Research & Development and Centers of Excellence. Joining online were from Brazil, Professor Vladimir Iorio of Federal University of Viçosa (UFV), representing both UFV and the Brazilian Association of International Education (FAUBAI), who updated the meeting on the status of students currently in Brazil under phase I of the program. Also joining online was Prof Ana Isabel Ribeiro from Universidade de Lisboa ((ULisboa) Portugal, who provided an update on the offers available to ARIFA from ULisboa.
From the first cohort of fellows (ARIFA I), 14 of the 120 fellows have graduated, with more than 40 of expected to finalize by the first half of the current year.
The progress report points out that following the ARIFA symposium held in Viçosa, Brazil, in April 2022, TETFund undertook to expand the ARIFA program in Nigeria by increasing the number of fellows by an additional 500 covering M.Sc., PhD, postdoctoral and sabbatical trainings and expanding knowledge areas beyond agriculture to other STEM-based disciplines. It was reported that an online portal had been developed where 895 nominees have so far been granted access, of which 646 have filled their placement forms and uploaded their credentials for different categories of the fellowship – PhD (231); post-doctoral fellows (212), MSc (156), Bench work fellows (47). These are composed of 509 male applicants and 137 female applicants, with 181 below 35 years of age while 465 are above 35.
Key decisions during the meeting are as follows:
Endorsement of the ARIFA phase II workplan, under which 500 Nigerian scholars are being screened for Postdoc, PhD Sandwich, PhD, and MSc positions in over 40 Brazilian universities. FAUBAI has offered 346 MSc, 84 sandwich, 263 PhD and 507 Postdoc positions to ARIFA fellows.
Endorsement of ULisboa as a member of the ARIFA Partnership Platform (APP). ULisbon is offering 46 MSc, 49 PhD, 38 Postdoc and 81 regional mobility positions.
Reaffirmation of the Unique value proposition of ARIFA, namely that fit for purpose graduates are trained and equipped to apply knowledge and skills to resolve local problems and harness opportunities through enterprise within the context of African agricultural research for development, contributing to the attainment of CAADP Goals.
FARA should continue to pursue strategic alignments to scale the Nigerian model of ARIFA in the Republic of Liberia, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, and the COMESA regional bloc.
The African Union Commission – Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (DARBE) and Economic Development, Trade, Industry and Mining (ETIM) – , the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), and the Africa Export, Import Bank (Afrexim bank) hosted a successful investor round table on the Common Africa Agro-Parks (CAAPs) Initiative at the African Union Commission (AUC) Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 17th February 2023, after a CAAPs Steering committee held on the 16th February.
The event was convened in collaboration with key partners such as Africa Development Bank, AUDA-NEPAD, UNIDO, Pan Africa Farmer Organization, UNECA, Africa Business Council, PAAAC, IFPRI, FAO, and the private sector and held alongside the ongoing 36th Ordinary Session of the Africa Union.
Bringing together key industry leaders, the event was co-chaired by the commissioner of Economic Development, Trade, Industry, and Mining, to discuss the transformation of Africa’s Agriculture while boosting integration and industrialization of the continent through the implementation of the Common African Agricultural Parks (CAAPs). The discussions were enshrined in the June 2014 Malabo Declaration of the AU Heads of State on collective action leading towards tripling Intra-African trade for agricultural commodities and services.
H.E. Commissioner Josefa Sacko affirmed the need for Public-Private-Partnership (PPP)-driven financing options and joint governance of the CAAPs. The joint governance will constitute a critical step in mainstreaming the private sector perspectives in the design of the CAAPs partnerships arrangements, which shall culminate in a leading role to the private sector in the agro-industrialization of Africa. Likewise, H.E. Commissioner Albert M. Muchanga reinforced that Africa should be a net exporter. Thus we should ensure that the initiative starts generating results for Africa as a self-reliant continent.
Over the course of the 2-day event, delegates engaged in a productive discussion to sensitize PPPs on the CAAPs as an effective tool to boost agriculture. Additionally, the participants gathered feedback on how best to continue PPP engagement and obtain pledges from partners to support the implementation of the CAAPs. Dr. Yemi Akinbamijo, the Executive Director of FARA, asserted that we need to evade the bureaucratic inertia that may be hit if we do not move the continent to the next level. On the other hand, Mr. Mansur Ahmed, the Executive Director, Stakeholder Management and Corporate Communications at Dangote, alluded that we need to promote action that will make the agricultural industry competitive, with a clear pathway to create hubs that will create sustainable linkages.
The event marked an important milestone for the Steering Committee of the CAAPs to endorse CAAPs for consideration as a flagship program of Agenda 2063. “The importance of the continent to boost production and processing is high. We stand ready to work with the member states and members of the Steering Committee to drive the process,” said H.E Nardos Bekele-Thomas, the commissioner for AUDA-NEPAD. Also, Mr. Themba Khumalo, Senior Advisor to the Secretary General of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, confirmed that the AfCFTA secretariat is thrilled to join this partnership since the CAAPs will help deliver on the strategies to drive regional processes for boosting intra-Africa agricultural trade.
Dr. Beth Dunford, the Vice President of the African Development Bank’s Agriculture, Human, and Social Development, also confirmed the bank’s commitment to supporting the CAAPs implementation in collaboration with the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones programme.
The 2-day event ended with the singing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the African Union Commission, Afreximbank, and the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, the key drivers of the CAAPs.
The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) Board of Trustees and CGIAR has recently confirmed the appointment of Professor Appolinaire Djikeng as Director General of ILRI and CGIAR Senior Director of Livestock-Based Systems, succeeding Dr Jimmy Smith who ended his term recently.
Professor Djikeng joins ILRI and CGIAR from the University of Edinburgh, where he is currently Professor and Chair of Tropical Agriculture and Sustainable Development, as well as the Director, Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH) based at the Roslin Institute.
A world-class scientist in his own right, Appolinaire comes as the first African DG of ILRI with his full laurels and accolades to join forces with fellow African DGs at the IITA and Africa Rice.
FARA is excited at the appointment of such a talent, and we all look forward to working with you in making a difference in the livelihoods of livestock-dependent populations.
The International Institute for Tropical Agriculture has appointed Dr Simeon Ehui as the ninth Director General of the institute.
A world-class economist and a man with distinction, Simeon spent the earlier part of his career at the IITA and ILCA – the predecessor of ILRI as Livestock Economist. Thereafter, he joined the World Bank during two decades of fruitful engagement in global development. He worked in Asia, Africa, and North America in different capacities at the World Bank, where he is the Regional Director for Sustainable Development.
FARA welcomes Dr Ehui back into the CGIAR as Director General-designate of IITA and the CGIAR Regional for Africa. He will assume his duties in August 2023.
On behalf of the Chairperson of the FARA Board of Directors – Dr Alioune Fall, and the entire FARA Fraternity, we look forward to the continued collaboration with IITA under the leadership of Dr Simeon Ehui in our quest for a food and nutrition-secure Africa and purposeful engagement in the AR4D space.
The UN Secretary-General lauds the African Union (AU) Common African Agro-Parks, (CAAPs) and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as potential for increasing agricultural productivity and expanding intra-African trade during his message at the ongoing Africa Food Summit Dakar 2 in Senegal.
The three-day Summit, hosted by His Excellency Mr. Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal and Chairperson of the African Union, and co-hosted by the African Development Bank Group, kicked off yesterday, January 25, 2023. The Summit has brought together governments, private sector investors, multilateral organizations, NGOs, and scientists to meet the escalating challenge of food insecurity in Africa.
In a written statement by the UN Secretary General, H.E. Antonio Guterres, addressing the honorable dignitaries and distinguished invited guests and organizations present on day one of the Africa Food Summit in Dakar through a representative of the UN, he expressed his admiration to the continent’s leaders for joining forces to share ideas, mobilize assistance, harness knowledge, and technology to forge solutions to feed the people of Africa and unleash the continent’s tremendous food and agricultural potential.
He addressed the vulnerability of African agriculture to climate risk and fragmented value chains, stating strongly that the transformation of the African food system is critical to alleviating poverty, advancing food security, promoting sustainable development, and creating productive jobs, most especially for women and the youth.
He then praised the African Union Commission initiative, the Common African Agro-Parks (CAAPs) program, and the full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), emphasizing how these have enormous potential for increasing agricultural productivity, building agricultural value chains, expanding trade, and, most importantly, intra-African trade.
Watch full message here
According to H.E. Amb. Josefa Sacko, the African Union’s Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Development, “the CAAPs initiative is to establisha number of cross-border agro-industrial parks within the regional economic communities.” Conceptualized in 2019, the program is one of the concrete initiatives of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) in support of the African Union Agenda 2063 and the Malabo commitments, particularly “tripling intra-African trade for agricultural commodities and services.”
The CAAPs also intend to provide over 8 million job opportunities within the crop and livestock value chains. The transboundary dimension of the CAAPs presents vast potential for developing cross-border market linkages to connect all agro-park initiatives to respond to Africa’s food gap, which is presently filled largely by imports. CAAPs is being implemented by the African Union Commission (AUC), Afrexim Bank, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the Food and Agriculture Organization, member states, and regional economic communities.
CAAPS, a 37-million-dollar investment, has already received USD 0.5 million in seed capital from Afreximbank. It has planned holding Investors’ forum to be held on the margins of the 36th Ordinary Session Of The African Union (Au) Assembly, February 17th 2023, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The AfricaFoodSummitDakar2 is still underway and ends tomorrow, January 27. By the close of the day, visit afdb.org to watch the summit via the internet.
For the latest information about the Common African Agro-Parks (CAAPs) program, visit the website: faraafrica.org/caaps/ Join the conversation around it using the hashtag #CAAPs4Africa.
GNA-Experts in climate adaptation techniques have proposed the deployment of digital climate-smart solutions, including communication and information systems, to boost agriculture production and marketing on the continent.
They say the continuous reliance on rain-fed agriculture in Africa was not sustainable, hence the need for governments to invest in digital infrastructure to support smallholder farmers to scale up their production amid pressing climate challenges.
They made the proposal in separate interviews at the opening of two-day training on Digital Climate Advisory Services in West Africa in Accra on Thursday, December 8, 2022.
The training was organised by the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA), under the framework of the Forum for Agriculture Research Africa (FARA).
It is intended to build the capacities of stakeholders in the region to implement digital climate adaptation solutions for farmers.
Dr Oluyede Ajayi, Programme Lead, Food Security and Rural Wellbeing, Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA), said there were existing solutions to address climate change impacts on the activities of farmers but connecting those interventions to farmers had always been a challenge.
He said digital tools such as climate information and advisory services could provide early warning systems to farmers to enable to plan their activities.
Dr Ajayi said there were digital platforms that could also support farmers to get access to markets readily after harvesting to help reduce post-harvest losses.
“These are tools that can give farmers information in real time for them to be able to make informed decision in their farm operation. For example, the tools can inform farmers that in the next three days, it is going to be raining heavily and in that case, the famer would not need to apply so much fertiliser,” he said.
Professor Wole Fantunbi, Senior Technical Cluster Leader and Innovations Systems Specialist, FARA said until the continent embraced digital climate solutions, smallholder farmers in the region would continue to be at the mercy of the weather.
He said farmers in the region were not realising the impact of available digital tools due to the lack of “strong investments” in infrastructure that enhances access and use of digital devices in the agriculture sector.
“One area of agriculture that digitalisation is very useful is remote sensing that helps you to determine exactly what you need to do at the right time. Drones are becoming very useful.
“Efforts need to be geared into developing technologies and the infrastructure that make drones available…If we have a remote-powered small weeder that can work on a farmer’s field, the cost of labour and production would be reduced,” Prof. Fantunbi said.
Ms Eyerusalem Fasika, Country Manager, African Development Bank, said while existing technologies such as improved seeds would be critical to meeting Africa’s food demand, farmers would need additional new tools to improve yields and get their goods to the market.
She said digital climate-smart technologies provide efficiency and support scaling of interventions and could increase productivity by between 40 to 70 per cent.
“…it is important to design multi-stakeholder partnerships between government, academia, and the private sector to support smallholder farmers across entire agriculture value chains,” she said.
Mr John Osei Frimpong, Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Food, Agriculture, and Cocoa Affairs, said farmers were experiencing a gap in yields due to their inability to access advanced technologies.
“We must all put the right mechanisms in place to ensure that the investments (in technology) is quickly translated into measurable development outcomes even in their short run,” he said.
With weather patterns becoming less favourable, farmers in the region who largely depend on rain to cultivate their farms are battling with extreme weather conditions such as droughts, floods, and windstorms.
Somalia for instance is experiencing the worst drought in 40 years with 7.8 million people experiencing acute food insecurity. The United Nations has indicated that, between January and June 2022, at least 200 children have already died as a result of malnutrition.
