More than 100 European and African actors have signed a charter of commitment to the development of the agro-pastoral sectors in Africa, particularly in the Sahel, with the original initiative aimed to resize and strengthen agricultural cooperation between Europe and Africa while ensuring the protection of biodiversity, a global common good.
The recent health crisis has revealed the resilient capacities of African agriculture. Faced with the closing of borders, the drop of the purchasing power in urban areas, the major disruptions in the international market of raw materials and the availability of agricultural labor generally unaffected both by the virus and the traffic restrictions, the high demand for food products in cities has been a powerful incentive to the increase and the flow of local productions.
Under these conditions, more than ever, agriculture should be one of the main levers of development on the continent. In this respect, a paradigm shift appears indispensable. Thus, the modernization of this sector, particularly through agro-ecology, digital agriculture, and social business, must once again become a priority. It is an economic, social, environmental, security and democratic issue.
To meet these multidimensional challenges, more than hundred operators from all parts of the agricultural value chain, launched on the sidelines of the One Planet Summit 2021, IAM Africa.
A coalition of private and public actors have committed to the sanctuarization of biodiversity, a global common good, and to the development of sustainable agricultural sectors.
The multilateral initiative was formalized in the presence of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, the President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Cheikh El-Ghazaouani, and HRH Prince of Wales.
Creating a community of values and actions
Knowing that Africa represents an exceptional lever of growth, companies, employers’ organizations, African and European institutions in the agricultural and livestock sectors have decided to join forces to form a team with multiple expertises that are driven by the common desire to provide an appropriate response to this major issue.
With this shared ambition, the signatories of the present charter (the “Charter”) intend to jointly prospect and develop value chains that meet precisely to African issues.
Since co-development is at the heart of the ethics shared by all the signatories, a significant part of these activities will be the responsibility of local actors, which is promoting technology transfers and the appropriation of the know-how necessary to the sustainable implementation of the agricultural and livestock production sectors envisaged by IAM Africa.
“The objective of the signatories, through their commitment to deploying this approach in most Africa, is to participate in the promotion of a strategy combining social, environmental and economic development in the service of prosperity but also the preservation of biodiversity and more generally the stability of the continent”, mentions Karim Ait Talb, co-founder of the initiative and Deputy Managing Director of the Advens/Géocoton Group.
Structuring and boosting agricultural value chains in the Sahel
The signatory partners of this coalition specifically commit themselves to participate in the achievement of the 2030 objectives of “the Great Green Wall”. The Sahelian strip is identified as one of the global “hotspots” of climate change. In this region, it is essential to provide answers to the tensions on natural resources to meet the objectives of sustainable development and preserve biodiversity. The structuring of agro-livestock value chains that encourage the deployment of agro-ecological practices and the creation of decent and sustainable jobs will be an important response to the adaptation of the region’s populations and to the mitigation of the effects of climate change, particularly in terms of migration flows and security challenges.
“The Presidential Council for Africa has been mobilized since 2018 for the structuring of the agricultural value chains in the Sahel and has conducted several missions to meet field actors in order to work on concrete solutions that have an impact on nutrition, on the creation of decent jobs and on the inclusion of vulnerable populations. IAM Africa is a new scheme where French, African and international companies who commit and are ready to invest in the agro-ecological sectors of the future. I invite all companies who share these values to sign the charter available on the CPA website”, says Wilfrid Lauriano Do Rego, partner of the initiative and Coordinator of the Council for Africa (CPA).
Signatory organization:
1T.org
Acacia
Adialea – JV Carrefour CFAO
ADM
AFA
African Commodities
Afruibana
Agir Ong
Agro-Paris-Tech
AWAN AFRICA
Baobab
Beit Mama
Biaugeaud
Biopost – Cofuna
Bolloré
Boloré Logistic
Boubou Lait
Brl
Bureau Veritas
Bureau Véritas
Bureau Véritas
CA17
Cabinet Emergence Légal
Ceva
Chambre Nationale d’Agriculture du Faso
CIAN
Cian
Cirad
Classm
CMDT
Colas
Compagnie fruitière
Coopex
Dalkia Froid Solution
Dijon Céréales
DSV
EBCAM
Ecole Supérieure d’Agricultures Angers Loire
Eilyps
Entrepreneur agricole Togo
Espace Sanzara
e-Tumba
Fert
FGM
Franco-Nigerian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
GDM – Agriconcept
Gito
GNIS
Groupe Initiative
Groupement des Industries du Togo
Hilina Foods
Innofaso
INVESTIV
Invivo
Invivo -Group
Isolvar
ISTOM
ISTOM
kanopiiis
Limagrain
Loukil
Mairie d’Angers / Angers Loire Métropole
Mali She
Marsh
Maya
MEDFI
Mg2mix
MGH Partners
Moringa
Neofeed
NIOTO
NITIDAE
Nutriguinée
Nutrik
Nutriset
Nutriset
OHVN
Olvea
One Point
Orange
Patronat Sénégalais
RIK TOGO
SAF Ingrédients
Sahel Délices
SAIS Distribution
SAM
Samil Industrial
Savana
Sedima
SN CITEC
Socoma
Sodefitex
Sofitex
Sowit
STA
Team Créatif
Tiviski
Tunisa Taste
UNPCB
Végépolys-Valley
Vergnet-Hydro
Verta Pro
Vinci Construction
Vinci Construction – Sogéa Satom
Vitagora
Vitagora
Conseil Présidentiel pour l’Afrique
Planet A
APO
