29th FAO Regional Conference for Africa, Trends and Issues for SDGs, ARC29 © FAO: http://www.fao.org

1. Transforming African Agri-food systems for inclusive growth and a shared prosperity
29TH
FAO REGIONAL CONFERENCE FOR
AFRICA
Trends and issues in food and agriculture for
national and regional action in the context of the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 4-8 April 2016

2. Transforming African Agri-food systems for inclusive growth and a shared prosperity
Overview of the presentationOverview of the presentation

3. Transforming African Agri-food systems for inclusive growth and a shared prosperity
I- Recent global trends and
developments
Major Drivers for FAO global and Regional Action:
• Post-2015 development agenda
• Climate change and increasing
vulnerability

4. Transforming African Agri-food systems for inclusive growth and a shared prosperity
I- Recent global trends and
developments
Control and response to transboundary plant and
animal pests and diseases
Growing competition over the environment and
resources
Urbanization, migration and impacts on food
systems, food security and nutrition, changing
agrarian structures
Knowledge and innovation are increasingly
dominated by the private sector
Globalization of Agriculture and Food Systems
Governance and mutual accountability
Evolution of trade policies and trade flow patterns
Increased vulnerability due to natural and man-
made disasters and crises
Changing structure of food demand and food price
volatility
Energy security and scarcity

5. Transforming African Agri-food systems for inclusive growth and a shared prosperity
• While progress was made globally, the MDG achievements in Africa
were somewhat mixed, so they will remain relevant beyond 2015;
• The African Union adopted in January 2014 Agenda 2063 – a shared
strategic continental framework for inclusive growth and sustainable
development
• The Malabo Declaration and its IS&R-links to the SDGs
(SGD1&2,SDG13) but with a very ambitious time frame of 2025 to
attain.
• FAO,IFAD and WFP-Africa needs around USD198 billion annually
between 2016 and 2030 to achieve both SDGs and Malabo targets
Control of transboundary plant and animal pests and diseases
• Transboundary plant and animal diseases account for an estimated
30 per cent of post-harvest losses across the world. The rate of loss
is exceptionally high in Africa;
II- Regional expressions of global
trends, opportunities and
challenges

6. Transforming African Agri-food systems for inclusive growth and a shared prosperity
• Well organized pest and diseases monitoring systems are very weak
in Africa
• Ghana is losing USD230 million annually in export revenue as a
result of export ban due primarily to fruit flies. In the case of aflatoxin
control, the WB estimates that for African exporters of cereals, fruits,
vegetables and nuts, the annual cost of complying would be about
USD670 million
Climate change and the environment
• According to the AfDB, the economic cost is expected to be $45–50
billion per annum by 2040, and up to 7 percent of Africa’s annual
gross domestic product (GDP) on average by 2100;
• The ongoing El Niño weather phenomenon in various parts of Africa
is a testimony to effects of climate change
Energy security and scarcity in Africa
• Over 75 percent of the African population is without elec-tricity and 81
per cent depend on solid traditional biomass fuels for cooking;
II- Regional expressions of global
trends, opportunities and
challenges

7. Transforming African Agri-food systems for inclusive growth and a shared prosperity
• The population without access to electricity is projected to increase to
655 million (44 per cent) and those without clean cooking facilities to
883 million (59 per cent) by 2030.
• The African Development Bank estimates that investing in regional
grids and hydropower will save the region up to USD2 billion annually
Youth employment, urbanization and migration
• Africa is now the world’s youngest continent.
• Although Africa is the least urbanized region of the world, with an
urban population of only 39 per cent, it has the fastest urban growth
rate of 4.5 percent.
• This changing landscape of the region’s demographic trends and
increasingly urban future has enormous implications for human
development, for the structural transformation of African economies .
II- Regional expressions of global
trends, opportunities and
challenges

8. Transforming African Agri-food systems for inclusive growth and a shared prosperity
Gender and women’s empowerment
•Africa continues to record progress on gender equality and women’s
empowerment. Many countries are producing remarkable achievements,
especially on gender parity in primary school education and number of
seats held by women in parliament
Evolution of social protection for overall economic transformation
•Social protection is now regarded among policymakers in Africa as a
key component of poverty reduction strategies in the region, and dialogue
and debate on social protection have continued to expand
Increasing dependency on food imports
•Persistent food import dependency is a serious problem for many African
countries, especially when high and rising food import bills take money
away from other important development agendas.

9. Transforming African Agri-food systems for inclusive growth and a shared prosperity
• Widely agreed that enhancing intra-African trade through
strengthened regional integration arrangements holds a key role for
overcoming Africa’s food import dependency and food insecurity
problems;
• The Malabo Declaration- Boosting Intra-Africa trade in agricultural
commodities and service by triple the current level of intra-trade by
2025, fast track CFTA by 2017 and transition to a continental CET
scheme;
• Concerted efforts are needed to reform trade regimes, especially in
the new Africa-wide CFTA environment;
• Renewed interest in private sector investment in agriculture(agro-
investmet) including from developing and emerging economies.
II- Regional expressions of global
trends, opportunities and
challenges

10. Transforming African Agri-food systems for inclusive growth and a shared prosperity
• CAADP through the Malabo Implementation Strategy and Road
Map and in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals
III- Priority areas for FAO action in
the future
THANK YOU !THANK YOU !
MERCI BEAUCOUP !MERCI BEAUCOUP !
Matters to be brought to the attention of the Regional Conference
• Advice on the extent to which the main challenges identified
are consistent with the conditions in the region, the context of
FAO’s vision and goals, the major trends and SDGs.