MSMEs To Hold Dialogue On Food System Transformation In Africa

Posted by Eric Ojo African News, Featured, Latest Headlines Saturday, August 21st, 2021

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are set to convene a meeting to brainstorm on how to effectively accelerate food systems transformation in Africa through agro-food MSMEs.

The confab which was announced by the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) at the weekend, is a virtual independent dialogue of the United Nations (UN) Food Systems Summit

AGRA is an alliance led by Africans with roots in farming communities across the continent. It fully understands that African farmers need uniquely African solutions designed to meet their specific environmental and agricultural needs so they can sustainably boost production and gain access to rapidly growing agriculture markets.

Moreover, the alliance is currently catalyzing an inclusive agricultural transformation in Africa by increasing incomes and improving food security for 30 million farming households in 11 focus countries by 2021.

Since 2006, AGRA has worked with its partners across Africa to deliver a set of proven solutions to smallholder farmers and thousands of indigenous African agriculture enterprises. The alliance has also built the systems and tools for Africa’s agriculture; high quality seeds, better soil health, access to markets and credit, and coupled by stronger farmer organizations and agriculture policies.

As a part of the Decade of Action for the SDGs, this independent dialogue by MSMEs will provide new perspectives, innovations and cross-fertilize positions taken by the African Union (AU) and its member states seeking to empower their people to leverage food systems as accelerators of progress to realize the vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and their respective Countries’ long term development visions.

In addition, the dialogue which is scheduled to hold on August 31st in Nairobi, seeks to contribute to the articulation of an Africa’s Common Position and cross- fertilize Member States positions on critical food systems by identifying concrete gaps and ideas on how MSMEs can work together to fast-track growth of their businesses in ways that accelerate food systems transformation in Africa.

The MSMEs dialogue specifically aims to mobilize MSMEs from different sectors and across the continent to generate current perspectives, aspirations and ambitions, and map the general trends, institutional, structural and policy bottlenecks impeding the functionality and viability of MSMEs in Africa.

It is also intended to harvest and recommend key promising and emerging solutions that will fast-track required changes in the Food Systems in Africa, plug MSMEs synthesis insights into the ongoing discourse to frame and position issues in pursuit of sustainable and inclusive food systems within the goals and targets set in Agenda 2063 and Agenda 2030.

The dialogue will equally contribute to Africa’s Common Position on transformative agenda on the UN Food Systems and contribute new perspectives and options to the Agenda 2063 and CAADP Malabo Declaration Biennial Reviews.

Prior to the dialogue, AGRA is equally ready to facilitate a Financial Modeling Webinar for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) on August 25.

The webinar is aimed at demystify financial statements and provide insights into the basics of financial modeling with the goal of assisting SMEs along their capital raising journey.

Notably, it is part of the up skilling package for the 2021 Agribusiness Deal room at the Africa Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), which is one of the world’s most prominent for a for African agriculture.