President Muhammadu Buhari will depart Lagos for Senegal on Tuesday, where he will attend the 2nd edition of the Dakar International Conference on Agriculture, according to Mr. Femi Adesina, the president’s spokesperson, in a statement on Monday.
According to the presidential aide, the high-level Dakar 2 Summit hosted by President Macky Sall of Senegal and the Chairperson of the African Union will hold under the theme “Feeding Africa: Food Sovereignty and Resilience.”
“The conference, which seeks to create favourable conditions toward achieving food security in Africa, is convened jointly by the government of Senegal and the African Development Bank.
”There will also be side meetings to discuss agreements on the delivery of food and agricultural products in some countries, including Nigeria.
”With Africa accounting for 249 million or a third of the 828 million hungry people in the world, the Summit, to be attended by African Heads of State and Government, Ministers of finance and agriculture, as well as several global development partners, is expected to make commitments on eradicating hunger in Africa by 2030,” Adesina said.
Members of the President’s delegation include Ministers and top government officials including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, and the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar.
Others are; the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, and Director-General, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Amb. Ahmed Abubakar.
According to Adesina, the president is expected back in the country on January 25.
The theme of this Summit is: “Feed Africa: Food Sovereignty and Resilience.”
The event will bring together more than 1,500 people, with the participation of Heads of State and Government, Ministers in charge of Economy and Finance, Ministers of Agriculture and related sectors, Governors of Central Banks as well as private sector stakeholders, multilateral organizations, non-governmental organizations, leading academics, and scientists.
During the three-day summit, key stakeholders, including heads of state, development partners, and private sector participants will come together to mobilise financing that will harness Africa’s food and agriculture potential.
The idea is to turn advocacy into concrete action.
The summit objectives are mobilise high-level political commitment, development partner support, and private sector investment around production, markets, and trade to increase food production in Africa.
Others share successful food and agriculture experience in selected countries – experience in boosting agricultural productivity through the adoption of climate-adapted crops, livestock and aquaculture technology, advisory services, and successful innovation platforms.
Others are to galvanize national governments, development partners, and the private sector around food and agriculture delivery compacts for each country to achieve food security at scale.
