A special session was held as part of FAO Regional Conference for Africa (Khartoum, Sudan) to commemorate the 40th anniversary of FAO country representations. The aim was to discuss potential opportunities for domesticating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in alignment with the Malabo Declaration framework as part of a wider shift to accelerate inclusive agricultural growth in the region.

Participants welcomed the 40th anniversary initiative as an opportunity to renew the Organization’s commitment to its long-term presence in the field while assuring flexibility, efficiency and a high level of technical capacity at country level. FAO’s effective and close presence to its members was noted and appreciated by the delegates throughout the whole conference. It was also stressed that additional efforts are needed to win the battle against hunger and poverty in contexts of conflict, migration and natural disasters, especially those caused by drought conditions, which are hitting the continent harshly. This will require a more competitive, productive and diversified agriculture sector that generates employment, particularly for youth. The importance of empowering women and providing smallholders with the necessary tools, inputs and access to information was also noted by delegates.
Burkina Faso’s Minister of Agriculture affirmed that malnutrition continues to be a public health issue, hence the importance of increasing the availability of and access to healthy and nutritious local products, including pulses. Ethiopia highlighted the strong dependence of rural areas on agriculture and the need to transform the sector into a driver of the economy, also with a view to increasing incomes. Senegal highlighted its successful National Programme for Livestock Development, while FAO Goodwill Ambassador Kanayo Nwanze from Nigeria mentioned the need to modernize infrastructure and use natural resources sustainably.

Between 2017 and 2019, 21 FAO country representations in the Africa region are celebrating their 40th anniversaries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia.

Local anniversary celebrations to date have shown strong Government interest, highlighting strategic partnerships, including close collaboration with Rome-based and other UN agencies, to be integral to FAO’s decentralization strategy and essential for supporting African member countries’ achievement of the SDGs, particularly in areas concerning Zero Hunger. Many country offices in Africa involved in the celebrations have produced materials and organized outreach activities, sometimes linking them with other major occasions such as World Food Day and Director-General’s official country visits. FAO Niger, for example, published a book for the occasion, while FAO-Congo organized a march against hunger and a forum on agricultural entrepreneurship at a local university. FAO-Tanzania held a round table discussion on climate change and produced short videos for prime-time TV channels, as well as a short documentary on the impact of FAO’s work in Tanzania. And this past September, FAO Director-General met Tanzania’s President John Magufuli to mark 40 years of FAO presence in the country. FAO-Kenya, organized gardens in various schools and a workshop on its 2016 Annual Report. In addition, the Representation produced a video on FAO’s work in Kenya with messages from former FAO Representatives.

The theme of this year’s FAO Regional Conference for Africa was “Sustainable development of agriculture and food systems in Africa: improving the means of production and the creation of decent and attractive employment for youth”, aiming to examine the state of food and agriculture in Africa, as well as the future prospects and emerging issues within the sector. The Conference aimed to chart a new path for agricultural development, food and nutrition security on the continent for the next two years. It discussed in particular the impact of climate change and the need to build resilience to address extreme vulnerability of Africa’s agriculture and rural livelihoods.