'Challenges in Africa’s agriculture to be addressed by AfCFTA'
Established in 2018 by 55 African countries the main aim of the AfCTA was to create markets as well as increase trade among member states.
John Ulimwengu researcher at IFPRI presenting the report at the opening of the Food Systems Summit . (Photos by Prossy Nandudu)
NewVision Reporter
@NewVision
____________________ TZ Vice President Philip Mpango holds the report high after the launch as AGRA President Dr Agnes Kalibata looks on at Julius Nyerere International Conferance center
Agriculture experts are looking to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to transform the food production systems.
Challenges affecting food systems and value chains on the continent include harsh weather conditions, such as floods, drought, pests and diseases, erratic rainfall, and declining soil fertility.
Established in 2018 by 55 African countries the main aim of the AfCTA was to create markets as well as increase trade among member states.
Through AfCTA, which is a single continental market, with a population of about 1.3 billion people and a combined gross domestic product of $3.4 trillion, there will be increased demand for foods, goods, and services, which will stimulate innovations and technologies to address the demand.
That is one of the recommendations in the African Agriculture Status Report 2023 that was launched on Tuesday at the opening of the Africa Food Systems Summit. The summit is being held at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Center in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
According to Dr John M. Ulimwengu from the International Food Policy Research Institute and lead author of the report, AfCFTA emerges as a significant catalyst in the report, having the potential to revolutionise trade, foster inter-country collaborations and streamline agricultural value chains across the continent.
He added that Africa could see foreign direct investment increase by between 111% and 159% under AfCFTA. Wages would rise by 11.2% for women and 9.8% for men by 2035, albeit with regional variations depending on the industries that expand the most in specific countries.
"If AfCFTA’s goals are fully realised, 50 million people could escape extreme poverty by 2035 and real income could rise by 9%,” Ulimwengu said.
Commenting on the report, Dr Agnes Kalibata, the President of AGRA Africa, emphasised the need for solutions, innovations, and technologies that should be adopted for the sector to move forward.
Finding a lasting solution to ensure the availability of fertilisers to reduce importations of fertilisers is one of the solutions that Kalibata wants to see for increased production.
While launching the report, Tanzania’s Vice-President Phillip Mpango noted that challenges such as climate change, desertification, pandemics like COVID-19, and instability in fertilizer-producing countries, such as Ukraine and Russia, have increased threats to the food systems.
In the state of the food security and nutrition report of July 2023, one in five people in Africa is going hungry, explained Mpango.
Quoting the report, Mpango added that the number of people experiencing hunger is projected to rise by more than 22 million in 2023 with food import bills in the region estimated at $75b.
"Therefore, the summit, under the theme: Recover, Regenerate Act; Africa’s solutions to food systems transformation requires both individual and collective efforts to go beyond words but act to foster food systems transformation,” he said.
He added such efforts will be made possible by first making use of available natural resources like land.
Mpango added that his government is committed to working with coalitions, partnerships to transform the agriculture sector.
The summit that officially kicked off on Tuesday will also have a session dedicated to addressing issues in the fertiliser sector, youth unemployment, environment, and the deal room where potential investment ideas will be presented to donors among others.
Organised by AGRA the summit will also have a special session for heads of state, another for agriculture ministers to agree on solutions to challenges in the agriculture sector, added Kalibata.