#ADFNS2023 - Over 250million Africans face famine on the continent - Estherine Fotabong
A ‘quantum leap’ in our efforts is required to ensure that all Africans have access to safe, nutritious, and affordable food, produced sustainably by our African farmers.
LUSAKA, Zambia (Planet Defence) – Over 250 million Africans across the continent are facing famine that need home grown solution to change as a greatest priority says Estherine Fotabong Director of Agriculture, Food Security and Environmental Sustainability at the African Union Development Agency.
Fotabong was speaking on the first day of the Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security (ADFNS) and the 19th Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Partnership Platform (CAADP PP) taking place at Mulugushi International Conference Centre in Lusaka
This year’s events are all being held under theme, “Accelerating the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement in the context of CAADP Commitments for Safer and Healthier Diets.”
We are still emerging from the devastation of the covid pandemic, and the on-going Ukraine and Russia conflict. These are some of the major shocks that have devastated our fragile food systems in recent years. Unfortunately, due to the lagged effects of these shocks, hunger and malnutrition on our continent is likely to worsen in the coming years, Fotabong said to African participants that have gathered in Zambia.
“This picture is compounded by a deepening climate crisis that threatens food production systems, natural ecosystems that are critical to the resilience of our food systems, key infrastructure, and the lives and health of millions of our people,” she said adding, “Our current investments in adaptation and resilience building are still way short of what is required to win the fight against climate change. These are only a few of the challenges facing our food systems,” Fotabong told participants ahead of the UN Conference of Parties 28 slated for Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
According to Fotabong, Africa faces a dangerous cocktail of mutually reinforcing crises that are converging into a ‘perfect storm’. Unless we act with urgency and common purpose, our continent faces a dire future she warned participants that followed the proceedings.
“The crises we face today are a stuck reminder of the urgent need to accelerate the implementation of Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), our continental framework for agricultural transformation and agriculture-led growth strategy to achieve our ambitious targets on food and nutrition security as outlined in the Malabo declaration,” Fotabong advised.
A ‘quantum leap’ in our efforts she said is required to ensure that all Africans have access to safe, nutritious, and affordable food, produced sustainably by our African farmers who also have to make a decent living out of their hard work.
Godfrey Bahiigwa, Director of Agriculture and Rural Development at the African Union Commission observed that in the wake of high and unacceptable level of food insecurity epitomised by chronic malnutrition on the continent.
The African Day of Food and Nutrition Security has been celebrated through commemorating events to showcase the centrality of food and nutritional security in African food transformation agenda.
This year we are celebrating this day in Lusaka and seem to sustain the momentum as a platform for running political, technical and financial commitments at all levels to address contemporary challenges facing food and nutritional security on our continent. The commemoration of the day is not for the sake of it, as you have heard earlier, Mrs Fotabong indicated over 250 million Africans are facing hunger. That is roughly 1 in every 5 Africans that are hungry. That is unacceptable!
Therefore, commemorating this day will ensure that we still have a lot of work to do to address food security on the continent.
Lilian Kapusana, Permanent Secretary in the Vice President in Zambia was hopeful the host country held firm belief that the ADFNS and CAADP PP will provide a platform for dialogue and conversations necessary for accelerating intra-regional trade and food security for stimulating economic growth across the continent.
In addition, the conversations Kapusana added, must align country and organization efforts which will contribute to food and nutritional security outcomes.
“We further believe that the experts at the event will help to align the discussion and outcomes with the 2023 theme which is, “Accelerating the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement in the context of CAADP Commitments for Safer and Healthier Diets.”
The combined events, will provide a forum for evidence-backed reflection on the 20 years of CAADP and is expected to contribute to discussions on enhancing trade and nutrition, including reflecting on persistent gaps, opportunities, and lessons under CAADP 20 years down the line.
More importantly, provide experts a forum for defining a common narrative and direction that the AUC and AUDA-NEPAD should focus on, such as assessing and documenting key lessons and opportunities for joint action to accelerate the implementation of CAADP and inform the post Malabo Agreement agenda.
Brilliant report! Keep it up!