• H.E. Dessalegn paid a courtesy call to H.E. Chakwera to discuss matters around food system transformation
• H.E.  Dessalegn pitched a Malawian Agricultural Transformation Agency, which H.E. President Chakwera agreed to, promising support in fast-tracking it

August 2, 2022: Lilongwe, Malawi – The former Prime Minister of Ethiopia and current Board Chairman of AGRA, H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, on Monday, 1^st August 2022 met with Malawi’s President H.E. Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, for dialogue on his country’s food system priorities.

During the meeting, H.E. Dessalegn recognized H.E. Chakwera’s work in advancing agriculture as a key priority for the development of his country, citing the prominent position of the sector in his Agenda 2063 first 10 year plan.

The AGRA Chair further commended President Chakwera’s leadership in the development and articulation of Malawi’s food system pathways, game-changing solutions and commitment to a holistic food system transformation that delivers on the 2030 Agenda.

In addition, H.E. Dessalegn proposed the establishment of an Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) in Malawi.

“We need multiple agencies to work together and this calls for an institution to have a binding effect on delivery. ATA is an important institution that IFAD, AGRA, BMGF and McKinsey are supporting to establish to unlock bottlenecks by Malawian institutions… Support can be accessed through the ATA on transforming the economy through the establishment of agro-processing areas to double production and resolve market and processing issues as was experienced in Ethiopia through the ATA,” said H.E. Dessalegn.

In response, H.E. President Chakwera said:

“Working with AGRA is a great advantage for us as a nation that will enable it not only to feed itself but also move from subsistence to commercialization. So, when you talk of ATA, this is more than welcome, and we could fast track that because local cooperatives and anchor farms will benefit a lot… With AGRA and ATA, we can succeed!”

The discussion also touched on AGRA’s areas of support to the Malawian government, including policy design, flagship development and a food system transformation action plan.

H.E. Dessalegn further used the opportunity to invite H.E. Chakwera to the AGRF Summit, which is set to take place in Kigali, Rwanda from September 6-9, an invitation that the latter promised to seriously consider despite the stringent restrictions on international travel by his government as a measure for economic rejuvenation.

The meeting came just two weeks after H.E. Dessalegn visited Zambia on a three-day trip that saw him hold audience with H.E. President Hakainde Hichilema, on the strategies for fast-tracking Africa’s food system transformation.

-ENDS

Note to editors:

About AGRA

AGRA is a farmer-centered, African-led, partnerships-driven institution that is working to transform smallholder farming from a solitary struggle to survive to a business that thrives. In collaboration with its partners—including African governments, researchers, development partners, the private sector and civil society— AGRA’s work primarily focuses on smallholder farmers – men and women who typically cultivate staple crops on two hectares or less. AGRA is now recognized across the continent as a strong voice for African rural development, a prosperous agricultural economy, and for supporting thousands of small African businesses and millions of African families to improve agriculture as a way of ensuring food security and transforming their livelihoods.

More information: https://agra.org ; Rebecca Weaver, rweaver@agra.org; Sophie Chitedze, SChitedze@agra.org

About the AGRF

The AGRF is an annual gathering that convenes top leaders, thinkers and implementers in African agriculture across private, public, development and non-profit partners, and academic and research sectors. The AGRF seeks explicitly to draw these stakeholders around a common purpose – to unleash the full potential of Africa’s millions of smallholder farmers and their families who earn their livelihoods from small-scale farms and provide about 80% of the food and agricultural products consumed across the continent.

More information: https://agrf.org