FAO SCIENCE & INNOVATION FORUM 2022 Increasing Agricultural Productivity in Africa - Can STI help Africa to make a quantum leap in agricultural productivity? Remarks
by Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
20/10/2022
FAO SCIENCE & INNOVATION FORUM 2022
Increasing Agricultural Productivity in Africa - Can STI help Africa to make a quantum leap in agricultural productivity?
Remarks
By
Dr QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General
20 October 2022
Excellences,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. What does “Africa” mean for you as Africans, for us and for FAO?
2. We need to answer these three questions before can find the solutions we need.
3. What does “Africa” mean? Africa is the future; it is the future food basket – not only for Africa, but for the world. Not only to solve the problem for African people and consumers, but also for the rest of the world.
4. What does “Africa” mean for you as Africans? It means you have to get rid of poverty; you have to end hunger as soon as possible.
5. What does Africa mean in the long-term vision, in 2063?
6. It means modernizing the continent with your vision, wisdom and with assistance from partners and friends from around the world, and with the hard work of all the African people.
7. This is what “Africa” means – what it means for us.
8. If Africa does not develop, it will not be nourished, and it will not have prosperity – this is not only a problem for you, but for all of us.
9. What “Africa” means for us is one of the key issues to be solved with regard to food security, environment and on climate change issues – and this should be done holistically and together.
10. What does it mean for FAO?
11. Since taking office, I have been focused on making FAO fit-for-purpose to better support Africa through increased capacity
12. At FAO, we provide a platform for you to bring together all shareholders from the capitals, from the private sector and academia, and others.
13. There is no time to waste! For this reason, at FAO we are changing our business model to empower science and innovation, and establish more enabling policies in consultation with Members from Africa.
14. And this is why the World Food Forum is an important platform for Africa, first.
15. It is a platform to support enabling policies, investment, science and innovation, and capacity building; to facilitate countries, donors and all stakeholders to come together to share, support and assist Africa.
16. Together, we can solve the challenges more efficiently – that is the real meaning of multilateralism – working together with consensus to turn global, regional and country-led initiatives into actions.
Dear Colleagues,
17. Allow me to share my personal three suggestions for Africa:
18. First, consult with the people of Africa - leaders, scientists, private sector. With respectful and friendly interaction and informal consultations.
19. Second, we need more investment. Not only for business, but so also for research, training for farmers, introduction of new technology like e-commerce and ITC applications, biotechnologies, introducing new varieties, and for increasing the capacity of producing new fertilizers and improving irrigation systems.
20. Third, we need cross-continental collaboration. FAO’s network of decentralized offices can facilitate support from Latin America, Asia, Near East, Europe and North America.
21. FAO’s network and system is fit to purpose to support Africa, and provide platforms such as the World Food Forum to facilitate global and regional dialogues on science and innovation.
22. This is the real driving force, we need more people to believe in it and take action.
23. For that, I hope you have a good debate and get more consensus among yourselves and across the countries, across the continent.
24. Working together to support the modernization of agriculture in Africa by 2053 - when I will celebrate my 90th birthday!
25. Thank you.