By Joyce Ojanji
The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) and the Food Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) have announced a five-year partnership agreement aimed at accelerating Africa’s pursuit to eradicate poverty, hunger and malnutrition.
The two organizations also seeks to improve the general well-being of Africans through their joint contribution to the creation of an enabling environment.
The agreement will establish and promote policy research and analysis to support the development of a conducive policy environment for a food secure Africa.
In addition, it will leverage the expertise and resources of the two organizations to support the implementation of agricultural and food security programs across the African continent.
Effectively, the partnership will focus on increasing food production, improving access to markets, and promoting economic growth in rural areas
According to Dr. Canisius Kanangire, Executive Director of AATF, the collaboration will help AATF engage with FANRPAN member states and partners to advocate for the centrality of technologies in the agricultural transformation agenda and create a more sustainable food system for all in Africa.
“We are thrilled to join forces with FANRPAN to tackle the pressing challenges of poverty, hunger and malnutrition in Africa through progressive policy engagement to support African Union (AU) agenda on agricultural transformation and rural economy,’’ he said.
He also noted that African farmers can make incredible progress—and many are—but they often lack the tools, technologies and knowledge to become more productive and profitable.
And therefore investing in new farming technology for Africa—from better seeds to digital tools to machinery is best opportunity for transforming African agriculture into an engine of economic growth that will have benefits far beyond the farm sector.
Dr Tshilidzi Madzivhandila, FANRPAN Chief Executive Officer & Head of Mission added that by partnering with AATF they will leverage on each organization’s competitive advantage for improvement of Africa’s agricultural vision and agenda by bringing together the best minds in agriculture and food security to create an enabling environment for adoption of agricultural technologies in Africa.
‘’We recognize the challenges in agricultural technology policy and investment, and we are putting our efforts together to close the gap, including through our national and regional multi-stakeholder policy dialogue platforms,” he stated.
“FANRPAN believes that it will realize this vision of resilient African agriculture and food systems, securing prosperity and health for all, by transforming African agriculture and food systems through the development and implementation of evidence-based policy framework.”
The collaboration will see AATF and FANRPAN advance technology and policy investment in agricultural transformation, including development of policies and programs on food security and agricultural productivity.
