Kigali, Rwanda, 6th September 2024 – H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, delivered a keynote address at the Africa Food Systems Forum 2024. The forum, held in Kigali, provided a platform for key stakeholders to discuss sustainable agricultural practices and food security across the continent.
In his intervention, H.E. Mene emphasised the need for a strategic plan to ensure the seamless movement of food and agricultural products across Africa under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). He noted that this is crucial for bolstering food system resilience, particularly in the face of current challenges such as climate change, global economic downturns, and rising commodity prices.
He highlighted that, despite the progress marked by the AfCFTA, Africa still faces significant hurdles, including an annual import bill of $100 billion for agricultural goods. To address this, H.E. Mene stressed the importance of increasing local production, value addition, and improving logistics systems.
H.E. Mene also underscored ongoing partnerships with key organisations such as the Mastercard Foundation and AGRAto transform Africa’s agricultural sector. Priority commodity value chains, including cereals, oilseeds, meat, fisheries, vegetables, and cash crops like coffee and cocoa, are being targeted as essential drivers of regional economic growth.
He urged governments to prioritise investments that would develop regional value chains, open trade corridors, and provide incentives for private sector involvement. The Secretary-General also called for addressing non-tariff barriers and streamlining technical measures to enhance agricultural trade across the continent.
