Rwanda to Host the Africa Food Systems Forum 2024 and Calls for Radical Transformation of African Food Systems

Kilimokwanza.org Reporter

Rwanda is set to lead Africa’s ambitious journey towards a sustainable and resilient food future as it prepares to host the second Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) from September 2-6, 2024, in Kigali.

Rt. Hon. Dr. Édouard Ngirente, Prime Minister of the Republic of Rwanda, officially launched the series of activities for the annual summit, the premier forum for African agriculture and food systems, in Kigali, Rwanda, yesterday.

The event, evolving from the renowned Africa Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), marks over a decade of substantial agricultural advancements across the continent. The 2024 AFSF, under the theme “Innovate, Accelerate, and Scale: Delivering Food System Transformation in a Digital and Climate Era,” aims to usher in a new age of sustainable and resilient food futures for Africa.

The forum, building upon the foundation laid during its inaugural session in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in 2023, is dedicated to fostering innovative solutions, accelerating progress, and scaling successful models to revolutionize Africa’s food systems. By focusing on digital innovations and climate-smart strategies, the AFSF seeks to enhance food security, resilience, and economic prosperity throughout the continent.

Rwanda is honored to convene the 2024 forum, adopting the forward-thinking theme, “Innovate, Accelerate, and Scale: Delivering Food System Transformation in a Digital and Climate Era.” This theme underscores the imperative to embrace innovative approaches, speed up progress, and expand successful models to overhaul Africa’s food systems.

The focus is on leveraging digital innovations and climate-smart strategies to enhance food security, resilience, and economic prosperity across the continent. The summit will address the urgent need to transform African food systems to improve food security, enhance local food production, bolster resilience to climate change, and uplift African livelihoods.

The summit will highlight the need to prioritize three key actions: innovating, accelerating, and scaling up. There will be a focus on innovative policy delivery mechanisms, financing initiatives, research, and business models. The summit will also showcase cutting-edge technologies and equipment to manage the impact of climate change, address digital and financing gaps, and reduce food waste and loss.

Speaking at the launch, H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, the Chair of the AFS Forum Partners group, emphasized the pivotal role of youth in accelerating the delivery of sustainable and prosperous food systems.

“With an abundance of emerging African young talents, remarkable innovations, and proven practices and solutions both locally and internationally, scaling up adaptation and replication is feasible. However, achieving this requires mobilizing actions and investments on a large scale, especially from the private sector,” he said.