Fostering public/private partnerships for food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture in Senegal
FAO Director-General met with representatives of the Senegalese private sector and emphasized the key role that they can play in reinforcing food security and in developing sustainable agriculture.
Dakar, Senegal - FAO Director-General met with representatives of the Senegalese private sector and emphasized the key role that they can play in reinforcing food security and in developing sustainable agriculture. Companies present discussed their activities ad issues encountered in the areas of distribution of agricultural inputs, production and processing of local commodities including cereals, fruits.
The representatives of the Senegalese Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, and the national Employer Federation shared their global vision of how the agricultural sector could be more efficient. They proposed to develop an integrated approach from a "modern production" to locally processed and purchased food products, including technical training for producers.
The companies invited mentioned that they work with local producers in a social and environmental positive way.
Da Silva discussed the many new opportunities for private sector partners to join the fight against hunger in Africa and contribute their expertise. Indeed, the private sector proposed relevant contributions in the area of agricultural competitiveness. For example, they will invest in a lot of new infrastructures and also in capacities building to participate in the national effort to increase agricultural productivity.
Da Silva praised their dynamism of the existing initiatives in Senegal that were presented to him.
Director General also specified that FAO is open to work with them on common goals along the new strategic framework of FAO. This meeting represents the first step of a participatory dialogue aiming at defining together areas of collaboration through which the private sector could contribute to delivery on FAO Strategic Objectives. Da Silva encourages the private sector in Senegal to continue welcoming innovative and reinforced partnership.
Empowering the private sector of the food, agriculture, forestry and fisheries systems from production to consumption is a great opportunity to adopt a win win approach.
