FAO Director-General welcomes Ambassador Foumane of Cameroon as Chairperson of the Africa Regional Group
Rome - FAO Director-General QU Dongyu today welcomed Ambassador Sébastien Foumane of Cameroon as the new chairperson of the Africa Regional Group in Rome, taking over from Ambassador Jackline Lumumba Yonga of Kenya.
The Director-General commended Ambassador Yonga for “her excellent leadership and for her constructive and active engagement with the FAO leadership and management,” before congratulating Ambassador Foumane as incoming Chair.
“I look forward to continuing the excellent collaboration,” he said, adding that “together with solidarity we can make 2022 a year of extraordinary achievements!”
Ambassador Yonga took the opportunity to highlight some of the achievements under her leadership despite a challenging year, including the Africa Regional Group’s participation in the UN Food Systems Summit and Pre-Summit and the continued strong partnerships and technical sessions with UN Rome-based agencies. She concluded by thanking the group for the enriching opportunity to have served as Chair.
For his part, incoming Chairperson Ambassador Foumane said it was a great honour to serve the Africa Regional Group, and will strive to continue the progress made under Ambassador Yonga’s chairpersonship.
During the ceremony, South African Ambassador Nosipho Ngcaba was also endorsed as Vice Chair. The event was also attended by the Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme, Amir Mahmoud Abdullah, alongside many of Rome’s African Ambassadors. The President of IFAD was represented by Sara Mbago-Bhunu, the Director of IFAD’s East and Southern Africa Division.
Africa and FAO
In his speech, the Director-General highlighted the important role of the Africa Regional Group in FAO’s work, calling it a “strategic and critical” bridge between FAO Headquarters and the African continent. He underscored FAO’s work in Africa to reduce poverty, increase access to healthy and diverse diets, develop new digital-led jobs and build sustainable and resilient livelihoods.
In particular, the Director-General drew attention to flagship initiatives such as the Hand-in-Hand Initiative, the 1000 Digital Villages Initiative, the Green Cities, and One Country One Priority Product, which are obtaining good support in several African countries.
Qu spoke of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa, but also noted projects where progress has been made regardless. The Great Green Wall initiative, aimed at reviving Africa’s degraded landscapes, and the Africa Open DEAL, have brought new digital geospatial technology to the forefront and are great examples of where African countries can innovate, influence and lead towards positive transformation, he said. Qu also emphasized how important the modernization of agrifood sectors and rural development is for Africa’s sustainable development, and for achieving Agenda 2063.
The Africa Regional Group is made up of 37 African countries that have official representatives in Rome and is divided into geographical sub-regions: Central Africa (Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Congo D.R., Equatorial Guinea, Gabon), Eastern Africa (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania United Rep., Uganda), Northern Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia), Southern Africa (Angola, Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe) and Western Africa (Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal).