President Kagame today participated in in virtual High-level Dialogue on Feeding Africa, hosted by African Development Bank (AFDB) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Read his remarks below:
I wish to thank Dr Adesina and Dr Houngbo for the invitation to join this conversation on the critical issue of food security. Africa’s food situation is already fragile due to low productivity and trade barriers.
Climate change is making the challenge even more difficult, as rainfall patterns shift and desertification worsens. And, of course, the Covid-19 pandemic is an added burden that we are still confronting. However, solutions to these challenges are known and within our means.
Transforming agriculture in Africa is an urgent task. No one can be satisfied with subsistence. Agribusiness can be a pathway to prosperity for African families.
First, we need to improve our research capacity. Agriculture may be humanity’s most ancient economic activity, but modern food production is based on science and technology, just like the smartphones we all use.
We need to strengthen partnerships to tap into successful innovations to produce more food, at affordable prices, and with less environmental impact.
In Rwanda, we are investing in climate-smart technologies and collaborating closely with regional institutions, development partners, and the private sector.
Second, we need to trade more with each other. The African Continental Free Trade Area widens the scope of opportunity for African agribusiness to reach its full potential. For too long, our continent imported food that we are capable of producing ourselves, simply because of internal trade barriers, among other things.
Third, we need to convince our youth that agribusiness is a good career. In Rwanda, and elsewhere in Africa, we have been encouraged to see an increasing number of young graduates dedicating themselves to agriculture, and making good money out of it. Sustaining this trend requires the support of leaders at all levels, as well as easier access to finance and insurance products.
The agricultural economy will be the foundation of Africa’s future prosperity for decades to come. But we must come together, like we are doing at this High-Level Dialogue, and give the sector the attention and investment it deserves.
I am therefore happy to endorse this meeting’s communiqué. I thank you very much for your kind attention. (End)