October 30, 2019, Cairo, Egypt - The commemoration of the 10th Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security (ADFNS) concluded with a call for enhanced efforts to fight hunger and malnutrition in Africa, through “Fostering New Agricultural Technologies for Improved African Diets,” which is the theme for this year.

This year’s celebration was organized by the African Union Commission in collaboration with the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt, United Nations food agencies and other implementing partners, to cultivate collective responsibility toward increasing sustainable access to safe, nutritious and healthy foods amongst Africa’s countries. The ADFNS serves as a rallying point to intensify political and financial commitments at all levels in order to address current challenges of food and nutrition insecurity in Africa.

The main objective for commemorating this year’s ADFNS was to discuss ways and modalities to advance new agricultural technologies to tackle hunger and malnutrition. Studies show that hunger and malnutrition has risen in Africa instead of reducing.

Officially opening the commemoration, Prime Minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt, H.E Mostafa Madbouly reiterated that even although the African continent is facing challenges in food security and climate change, African States had made significant strides towards achieving the aspirations of the AU’s Agenda 2063.

“We need partnerships with private sector, CSOs and businesses to get experience from their fields and have practical solutions and further allow Countries to support entrepreneurs and to invest [in] the biggest resource we have; the young women and men of Africa,” he said.

He further committed Egypt as the current Chair of the AU, to make sure that the recommendations of the 10th ADFNS will be implemented to contribute to food security in Africa.

Speaking during the ceremony, AUC Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, H.E Ambassador Josefa Sacko, emphasized that advances in agricultural, food and nutrition technologies should provide an opportunity for reversing the current trends in food insecurity and malnutrition prevalence.

“Agricultural technologies are the means to sustaining food and nutrition security,” Commissioner Sacko said. “I would like to commit my office to ensuring that the key recommendations of this meeting go into our action plans for 2020 and beyond. I would also encourage our Member States to start promoting the utilization of emerging knowledge to benefit the development of our food systems and food value chains.”

Commissioner Sacko called upon stakeholders to work together towards coming up with an All Africa Food and Nutrition Expo in one of the AU Member States and to mobilize its public and private sectors to support the preparations, organization and participation in the event.

Other dignitaries present at the opening ceremony included two ministers from The Gambia; Hon. Amie Fabourah, Minister of Agriculture, and Hon. Claudiana Sumareh, Minister of Basic and Secondary Education.

The ADFNS was declared in July 2010 by the African Union Heads of State and Government, which was made in recognition of the unacceptable and chronic crisis of hunger and malnutrition in Africa. The first ADFNS was successfully launched in Lilongwe, Malawi, on 31st October 2010 and it has been annually commemorated since then.

The event provides a platform at national, regional and continental levels to share experiences, knowledge and mutual learning, as well as measure progress in assuring food and nutrition security for all by governments and multi-stakeholder partners.
#For more information contact:
Media Contact:
Ms. Carol Jilombo
Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture
Jilomboc@africa-union.org