The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has entered into a series of strategic partnerships with African and international organisations to accelerate agricultural transformation and improve farmers’ livelihoods across the continent.
The agreements were formalised in Kigali, Rwanda, as the Africa Food Systems Forum concluded.
The new alliance brings together TradeMark Africa, the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD), the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA), the International Seed Federation (ISF), the Islamic Organisation for Food Security (IOFS), the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).
The partnerships are designed to tackle three major challenges constraining Africa’s agricultural transformation: low productivity, limited value creation and fragmented institutional capacity.
Speaking at a press briefing, AGRA President, Alice Ruhweza, said a more coordinated approach was needed to overcome the barriers confronting Africa’s agricultural and food systems.
“The next phase of agricultural transformation must move beyond isolated interventions,” Ruhweza said.
She said the renewed alliance would bring together the capabilities of governments, businesses and researchers to convert decades of agricultural progress into sustainable prosperity for farmers.
According to AGRA, the partnerships will cover critical areas including seed and input systems, soil health, nutrition, regional trade, private-sector development, policy coordination and institutional capacity.
The initiative is expected to help raise agricultural productivity while enabling farmers and local businesses to capture more value from agricultural activities.
It will also seek to strengthen domestic institutions and capabilities needed to sustain agricultural development over the long term.
AGRA said the Renewed Alliance would extend beyond its current partners, providing a platform for organisations working in climate resilience, water, logistics, energy, finance and other enabling sectors to contribute to Africa’s agrifood transformation.
The initiative represents a shift from developing individual components of agricultural systems to coordinating complementary capabilities around a common objective — improving farmer prosperity.
AGRA said the ultimate measure of the alliance’s success would be whether productivity gains translate into higher farmer incomes, better employment opportunities, more affordable food and resilient institutions capable of sustaining progress.
