Nouakchott - Africa's burgeoning population of youth and women is one of the continent's greatest assets, and must be empowered to drive positive change in regional agrifood systems, QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), said today in remarks at the first-ever meeting of the World Food Forum Africa.
"Youth and women are not only beneficiaries of transformation, they are the engines of change," he said in remarks opening a day of events ahead of the Ministerial Meeting of the 34th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Africa (ARC34), held in the capital of Mauritania.
The WFF was set up to offer a broader platform for all the stakeholders in the global agrifood sector. Launching a regional chapter localizes the effort to make the initiative more action-oriented, inclusive and investment-focused, and to respond directly to Africa's agrifood system priorities, Qu said.
Wednesday's event included contributions from Mohamedou Ahmedou Mhaimid , the Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, and a keynote address on integrating youth leadership with investment and innovation for a sustainable agrifood systems future by FAO Chief Scientist Charles Spillane, who noted that half the continent's population is under 19 and that most of them work in poorly-paid informal jobs.
Chief Economist Maximo Torero also presented local and actionable angles on FAO's flagship Hand-in-Hand Initiative.
Expanding inclusivity for all of Africa's people
After a brief overview of the history of the 2019 establishment of the WFF, FAO's Director-General noted its aim is to change development business models from donation to investment and close the gap between vision and delivery, connecting science and innovation with investment, and youth and women empowerment.
"Transformation requires investment - at scale and with impact," he said, noting that development finance for food security and nutrition in Africa has increased only modestly and remains fragmented, highly dependent on Official Development Assistance, and is often misaligned with long-term nutrition, climate and equity goals. Domestic public spending is growing to offset those shortfalls but often continues to favor short-term rather than high-impact public goods such as irrigation and rural infrastructure, he said.
"Africa's greatest asset is its people - especially its youth and women, and smallholders, yet they continue to remain systematically underserved by financial systems," he said. "Inclusion is not optional - it is essential for productivity, resilience and social stability."
Repurposing support and incentivizing private investment remains one of the largest untapped opportunities to accelerate transformation in Africa, he added
Special events
Workshops and sessions during WFF-Africa showcased the achievements of several young entrepreneurs and offered dialogue opportunities for those attending to hear from important local actors in the research and investment arenas.
Potential investors were invited to speak on panels focused on financing opportunities in FAO programmes for Small Island Developing States in the region, irrigation in the Sahel region, and agroprocessing, mechanization and trade in southern Africa.
ARC34 host country Mauritania also briefed attendees on the outcomes of the Hand-in-Hand Investment initiative in the country.
The event concluded with the inauguration of the International Year of the Woman Farmer in Africa, and a call to action from Fatmata Binta, an innovative chief who is serving as FAO Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Africa.
The high-level Ministerial Session of the ARC34 will open on Thursday.
