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ADS2022: Day One
The Africa Dialogue Series is back!
The 2022 edition of the Africa Dialogue Series (ADS), the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA)’s annual flagship event takes place throughout Africa month in May. This year’s theme is “Build resilience in nutrition: Accelerate Africa's human capital and socio-economic development.”
It is drawn from the African Union’s 2022 theme: “Strengthening resilience in nutrition and food security on the African continent: Strengthening agro-food systems, health, and social protection systems for the acceleration of human, social and economic capital development.”
The theme is aligned to Aspiration 1 of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which envisions a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development, a key goal of which is to ensure a continent of healthy and well-nourished citizens. It is also linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 2, which aims to end hunger and malnutrition by 2030, while increasing agricultural productivity and ensuring sustainable food production systems.
This year’s ADS activities will be hosted from five locations – Abidjan, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Rome and New York – thus providing an opportunity for broad and inclusive participation. In line with this approach, every week of the ADS will focus on a different sub-theme and will be led by different partners who specialize in the area of focus.
Africa Dialogue Series (ADS) Launch by Ms. Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General
“For the first time in a generation, hunger, malnutrition and poverty in Africa are increasing, with over a fifth of the population facing hunger last year. We must take urgent steps to stop and reverse this course and it is within our reach. In doing so, we must build on the outcomes of the Food Systems Summit last year: in particular, the AU Africa Common Position and supporting the National Food Systems Transformation Pathways. We have an opportunity to invest in this transformation and multiply its impact, not only to deliver food security, but to foster economic growth, biodiversity, gender equality, and social protection.”
Opening Statement by Ambassador Fatima Kyari Mohammed
“While we recognize that challenges exist, we must also take advantage of the opportunities. We have no choice but to be firm in our actions and committed to addressing climate change and revert to harnessing renewable sources of energy if we intend to increase food production and sustainably achieve food security while preserving our environment.”
Agriculture holds the key to Africa’s development, and development holds the key to a future, where Africa is not only feeding itself but also helps feed the world. To Address all these issues and much more, over the coming four weeks, the ADS in partnership with key stakeholders will shed more light and discuss in-depth the nexus between agriculture, food systems, nutrition and other critical factors, under four sub-themes.
Related document
Sub-theme 1: Building Resilient Socio-Agricultural Food Systems: The Key to Nutrition
The first week of the Africa Dialogue Series will focus on the sub-theme “Building Resilient Socio-Agricultural Food Systems: The Key to Nutrition.” This week’s activities are led by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).
Activities during this week aim to raise the profile of African challenges and solutions in building resilient food systems, and consider what must be done to turn pollical ambition into reality towards reaching the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Malabo Declaration, and Agenda 2063.
Resilient food practices in Africa
To learn more about how different countries are building resilient food systems, watch these videos on resilient food practices from projects in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique and Nigeria.
Views from the experts
In this call to action, Dr. Agnes Kalibata, President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), warns that current global and regional crises could further erode progress towards the sustainable development goals. She calls for investment in the agricultural sector in ways that can transform poverty, and improve people’s livelihoods while tackling climate change. Dr. Kalibata calls on stakeholders to place food security at the centre of plans to recover better following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aggie Konde, Vice-President – Program Innovation and Delivery highlights the challenges that affect the agricultural sector and markets in Africa, despite the continent’s capacity to feed itself. She also points at opportunities that can address these challenges, improve food security on the continent and enhance conflicts that often emanate from the scarcity of shared resources.