With agriculture emerging as Africa’s best bet for increasing food
security and expanding economic opportunity, officials gathered in Ghana for a
critical agriculture meeting launched a new prestigious US$ 100,000 award
called the Africa Food Prize, which is intended to inspire innovations in the
field and the marketplace.
“We want to celebrate individuals and institutions that are changing the
reality of farming in Africa, from a grueling struggle to survive to a
profitable family business that thrives,” said former Nigerian President
Olusegun Obasanjo, who is chairing the Africa Food Prize Committee.
The announcement was made in Accra as high-level leaders from across the
region gathered under the auspices of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture
Development Program (CAADP) to seek new sources of investment and financing for
African farmers and agriculture businesses.
“The Africa Food Prize is another way we can drive a search for
solutions to fundamental problems, like a chronic lack of financing, that
prevent African farmers from achieving their potential,” said Strive
Masiyiwa, Chair and CEO of Econet Wireless International and Board Chair of the
Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). “It can put a bright
spotlight on bold initiatives and technical innovations that can be replicated
across the continent to eliminate hunger and poverty and provide a vital new
source of employment and income.”
Winners will be chosen by the Africa Food Prize Committee, which, in
addition to Obsanjo, will include other distinguished leaders in African
agriculture. The winners will be announced annually during a prize ceremony at
the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), starting with the 2016 AGRF slated
for 5-9 September in Nairobi.
A Prize as a Call to Action
Today, in places like Ghana and elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa there
are glimpses of the enormous progress African farmers can make when they have
what they need to succeed, and how the food they produce and the income they
earn can send good vibrations throughout the economy. But many challenges
remain. In addition to a dearth of financing, millions of farmers lack
understanding of good agricultural practices and they have limited or no access
to high quality agricultural inputs, safe storage, and basic processing, which
collude to stifle production and income opportunities.
In 2004, Kofi Annan challenged the world to create an African Green Revolution. Yara responded to this call for action with the Yara Prize in 2005. “The winners this past decade have had one thing in common: A profound impact on African agriculture. I believe the Africa Food Prize will continue to attract global attention to all the impressive African women and men with a ‘can-do attitude’ and drive - people who play such a vital role in transforming agriculture in Africa”, said Svein Tore Holsether, President and CEO of Yara International.
Past winners include Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, the former Nigerian Agriculture Minister who now heads the African Development Bank (AfDB); Agnes Kalibata, the former Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources in Rwanda who now serves as AGRA’s President; and Ousmane Badiane, Africa Director for the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). AGRA and Yara have established a secretariat for the prize and will continue to fund and support the Prize.
In 2004, Kofi Annan challenged the world to create an African Green Revolution. Yara responded to this call for action with the Yara Prize in 2005. “The winners this past decade have had one thing in common: A profound impact on African agriculture. I believe the Africa Food Prize will continue to attract global attention to all the impressive African women and men with a ‘can-do attitude’ and drive - people who play such a vital role in transforming agriculture in Africa”, said Svein Tore Holsether, President and CEO of Yara International.
Past winners include Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, the former Nigerian Agriculture Minister who now heads the African Development Bank (AfDB); Agnes Kalibata, the former Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources in Rwanda who now serves as AGRA’s President; and Ousmane Badiane, Africa Director for the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). AGRA and Yara have established a secretariat for the prize and will continue to fund and support the Prize.
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