African Green Revolution Forum welcomes delegates to Ghana

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Accra, Ghana, 1 September 2010 – Heads of state, private sector leaders and agricultural experts are arriving in Ghana for the inaugural African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF).

Meetings between more than 800 senior government and corporate leaders, members of the international donor community and farming groups will pave the way for new investment and policy initiatives.

Kofi Annan, Chair of the AGRF will host the event from Thursday morning to Saturday afternoon at the Accra International Conference Centre, Ghana.

The AGRF, taking place for the first time in Africa, builds on meetings held in previous years in Oslo, Norway, at which governments and private sector companies agreed to energise an agricultural revolution through better policy and new catalytic private sector investment.

Executives from agribusiness and finance companies are preparing to form new partnerships to help Africans transform agricultural production in a way that improves food security and builds a greener future for the continent.

At the venue on Wednesday, Akin Adesina, Executive Co-Producer of the AGRF, said:

“Tomorrow we take a big step towards achieving an African Green Revolution that will boost agriculture across Africa. We are delighted to welcome high-level government and private sector decision makers who together will make concrete commitments on sustainable investment in Africa.

“A packed conference centre will give political leaders, chief executives, farmers, civil society and donors a platform for progress to advance the Green Revolution in Africa,” said Dr Adesina.

Speaking before the start AGRF, Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, CEO of the NEPAD Agency, said: ““Through our collective efforts on the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme we are supporting the transformation of African agriculture in order to reduce poverty and halt the marginalization of Africa in international markets. “The African Green Revolution Forum should work to provide the space for us all to come up with concrete actions on how to fast-track this transformation”.

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More updates on NEPAD’s participation at the AGRF will come later.
The NEPAD delegation at the AGRF is led by Dr. Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, CEO of the NEPAD Agency. Some of the side engagements held so far include meetings with Dr. Namanga Ngongi, President of AGRA and Kanayo Nwanze, President of IFAD.