Over 4,000 delegates, leaders and innovators from across the globe gathered today in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to discuss policy, breakthroughs and innovations in agriculture and food systems transformation in Africa.
The event, which is the 13th annual Africa Food Systems Forum, will be held from September 5th to 8th, 2023, under the leadership of Samia Suluhu Hassan, the president of the United Republic of Tanzania.
The summit is themed, “Recover, Regenerate, Act: Africa’s Solutions to Food Systems Transformation”.
Tanzania’s Minister of Agriculture, Hussein Mohamed Bashe yesterday emphasised that the forum represents a significant milestone in the journey towards establishing inclusive and sustainable food systems transformation throughout the continent.
“This year’s summit places a strong emphasis on empowering women and youth, recognizing their pivotal roles in reshaping Africa’s food landscape,” he said .
According the managing-director of the Africa Food Systems Forum, Amath Pathe Sene, in a statement yesterday, the event underscored the need to tackle food system challenges, stressing that “It is imperative that we make our voices heard, develop solutions that are rooted in our local context, and give paramount importance to the empowerment of women and youth in the process of transforming our food systems.”
The forum will also build momentum for the Food Systems Transformation dialogue ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference COP 28 in Dubai.
Africa Food Systems Forum 2023 will specifically address the optimisation of youth employment within Africa’s food systems while showcasing the innovative agribusiness ventures driven by young entrepreneurs.