By JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
AATF and the African Union Commission (AUC) have on Monday July 24, 2023, signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to raise agricultural productivity in Africa through research, technology development, and uptake by framers.
A statement made available by Mr. George Achia, Communications Officer, East and Southern Africa, AATF, on Monday, said the partnership agreement will facilitate deployment of agricultural technologies to address farm productivity constraints faced by smallholder farmers in Africa such as the impact of climate change and infestation of pests and diseases.
According to Her Excellency, Amb. Josefa Sacko, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, the agreement with AATF is a sign of commitment to drive collective action, coordinated efforts, enhanced collaboration, cooperation and synergies, that lead to the realization of the common goals and shared aspirations of Agenda 2063: the African we want.
H.E. Amb Sacko offered personal felicitations to AATF on the May launch of the 2023-2027 AATF Strategy, with the Strategy’s focus on commercialisation and scaling towards improving farmer productivity and livelihoods, promoting climate change resilience and sustainability to achieve food and nutrition security in Africa.
Dr. Canisius Kanangire, the Executive Director of AATF, noted that the partnership agreement with AUC will strengthen efforts towards raising agricultural productivity aimed at improving livelihoods of smallholder farmers on the continent.
“Given the remarkable results achieved under the previous collaboration agreement between our organisations, this renewal of our partnership with the AUC will accelerate technology transfer efforts towards getting innovations and products that make a difference to people’s lives into farmers hands for a food and nutrition secure Africa,” said Dr. Kanangire.
He pointed out that AATF’snew Strategic Plan 2023-2027 builds on gains realised over the last two decades with a clear roadmap on scaling technological interventions for impact.
“Our roadmap towards delivery of agricultural technologies during the next five years will not only contribute to food and nutrition security in Africa but will also engender agricultural transformation and resilient food systems in line with the aspirations of the Africa Union (AU) Agenda 2063,” he said.
He stated that AATF will continue convening strategic dialogues on agricultural technology in Africa,bringing various voices to weigh in on the contribution of Science,
Technology, and Innovation (STI) to agricultural development and how Africa can efficiently and effectively leverage it for economic growth and attainment of the Malabo Declaration, Africa’s agriculture vision and the agenda 2063.
The Executive Director announced that AATF will host the 1st African Conference on Agricultural Technologies (ACAT), a platform that will advocate for the uptake of agricultural innovations and advance agricultural technology transfer in Africa, in October 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya.
Founded in 2003 to address Africa’s food security prospects through agricultural technology, AATF believes that the agricultural sector is a key foundational pillar as Africa consolidates its economic growth and carves out its new position as a major global economic powerhouse and the next growth market in the world. It was formed in response to the need for an effective mechanism that would facilitate and support negotiation for technology access and delivery and formation of appropriate partnerships to manage the development & deployment of innovative technologies for use by smallholder farmers in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA).
The African Union Commission (AUC) is the African Union’s Secretariat undertaking the day-to-day activities of the Union.
It is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The African Union is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent.
It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999).
