Towards renewed strategic partnership between FAO and the AfDB
Second Partnership Meeting in Abidjan discussed strategic areas of working together
7 October 2016, Abidjan – In an effort to setting forth a framework for collaboration between the Food and Agriculture Organization and the African Development Bank on agriculture-related activities of concern to the two institutions, high-level delegations held a one-day working session on 7 October 2016 at AfDB Headquarters, the second since the April 2016 Partnership Meeting (Abidjan).
The parties led by Bukar Tijani, FAO Assistant Director-General & Regional Representative for Africa and Chiji Ojukwu, Director, Agriculture & Agro-industry Department (AfDB) conducted a joint update on relevant issues arising from a meeting between FAO Director-General, José Graziano Da Silva and AfDB President, Akin Adesina, last August 2016 in Madagascar.
The new developments have helped revising a renewed Cooperation Agreement aimed at forging a strategic alliance between the Parties to end hunger and malnutrition, to promote food security, sustainable agriculture and rural development. More specifically, it will provide a framework for future cooperation and working arrangements between the Parties with the overall objective of enhancing the quality and impact of investment in food security, nutrition, social protection, agriculture, forestry, fisheries and rural development.
“We are consciousof the tremendous contribution that a renewed strategic partnership between the AfDB and FAO, can make to enhancing agricultural development and food security in line with FAO Strategic Objectives and Bank’s Feed Africa Strategy (2016-25)”, said Bukar Tijani.
According to Chiji Ojukwu, partnerships for agricultural transformation aim to transform the agriculture sector into a more competitive and sustainable industry and by so doing, contribute to ending extreme poverty by 2025, end hunger and malnutrition by 2025.
The meeting aligned with the eradication of hunger and poverty as the overall priority of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, approved at the United Nations Summit in 2015 and that food and agriculture constitute key elements of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Useful links:
Contact: [email protected], FAO Communication, Africa