Dr. Agnes M. Kalibata
President, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
President, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
President, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
As President of AGRA, Dr. Kalibata leads the organization’s efforts with public and private partners to ensure a food secure and prosperous Africa through rapid, sustainable agricultural growth, improving the productivity and livelihoods of millions of smallholder farmers.
Prior to joining AGRA in September 2014, Dr. Kalibata was Rwanda’s Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI). In this role, she was widely considered to be one of the most successful Agriculture Ministers in sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Kalibata has held several other leadership positions, including Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture and Deputy Vice Chancellor of University of Rwanda. She also worked for the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture in Uganda, and various other agricultural development organizations. She sits on various boards including the International Fertilizer Development Corporation (IFDC), Bioversity International, Africa Risk Capacity, the Malabo-Montpellier Panel, and is a member of the Global Agenda Council of the World Economic Forum.
Dr. Kalibata has a distinguished track record as an agricultural scientist, policy maker and thought leader. She holds a doctorate in Entomology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Chairman and Founder, Econet and Board Chair, AGRA
Chairman and Founder, Econet and Board Chair, AGRA
Strive Masiyiwa is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Econet Group, a pan-African telecommunications, media and technology company with operations and investments in over 20 countries.
Masiyiwa serves on a number of international boards including Unilever Plc, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Council on Foreign Relations’ Global Advisory Board, the Africa Progress Group, and the Hilton Foundation’s Humanitarian Prize Jury. Masiyiwa also serves as Chairman of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), a position he took over after Kofi Annan’s term.
As a philanthropist, Masiyiwa is a member of the Giving Pledge, and his contributions to education, health and development have been widely recognized. Masiyiwa and his wife finance the Higher Life Foundation, which has supported the education of over 250,000 African orphans in 20 years. Their family foundation provides scholarships to over 40,000 African orphans every year.
Masiyiwa has been selected twice, in 2014 and 2017, to Fortune Magazine’s list of the “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders”.
Over the last few years, Masiyiwa has devoted his time to mentoring the next generation of African entrepreneurs through his Facebook page, which has a growing followership of nearly 3-million young people from across the continent. Facebook has identified his platform as the most engaging of any business leader in the world.
President, The Rockefeller Foundation
President, The Rockefeller Foundation
Dr. Shah brings over twenty years of experience in business, government, and philanthropy to The Rockefeller Foundation. Appointed as USAID Administrator by President Obama in 2009, and unanimously confirmed by the Senate, Dr. Shah was charged with reshaping the $20 billion agency’s operations to provide greater assistance to pressing development challenges around the globe.
By elevating the importance of innovation, promoting public-private partnerships, rethinking internal practices, and shifting how dollars were spent to deliver stronger results, Shah secured bipartisan support that enabled USAID to dramatically accelerate its work to end extreme poverty. Despite partisan gridlock on many issues, two significant Presidential priorities – Feed the Future and Power Africa – passed the House and Senate with bipartisan support and were signed into law by President Obama, and the Global Food Security Act is the second largest global development legislation after PEPFAR.
Shah’s work Shah’s work delivered results for countries facing democratic transitions, post-conflict situations, and humanitarian crises, and is widely credited with providing life-saving access to food, health, and water for millions of children across the planet.
President, The World Food Prize Foundation
President, The World Food Prize Foundation
Dr. Kenneth M. Quinn, former U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia, assumed the leadership of the World Food Prize Foundation on January 1, 2000, following his retirement from the State Department after a 32-year career in the Foreign Service.
Inspired by the vision of Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, the founder of the World Food Prize, Ambassador Quinn has endeavored to build this annual $250,000 award into “the Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture.” Held each October in Des Moines on or around World Food Day (October 16), the World Food Prize Laureate Award Ceremony, Borlaug Dialogue international symposium and Global Youth Institute have grown in size and stature under his direction.
With the support of the John Ruan family, Dr. Quinn has led the campaign which successfully raised $29.8 million to restore the historic Des Moines Public Library and transform it into the World Food Prize Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Hall of Laureates. He provided the personal leadership to have the building designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification, the highest possible level of energy efficiency and resource conservation.
More recently, he served as Chairman of the Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Statue Committee, leading the campaign that unveiled the statue of Dr. Borlaug on March 25, 2014. In addition, on May 30, 2014, Dr. Quinn was presented with the prestigious Iowa Award by the Governor of Iowa, Terry Branstad. The Iowa Award represents the state’s highest citizen award and is presented only once every few years. Recipients of the Iowa Award have included remarkable Iowans like President Herbert Hoover, Vice President Henry A. Wallace, Dr. Norman Borlaug, Mr. John Ruan Sr., and Professor George Washington Carver.
During his diplomatic career, Ken Quinn served: as a Rural Development advisor in the Mekong Delta; on the National Security Council staff at the White House; as Narcotics Counselor at the U.S. mission to the United Nations in Vienna; and for four years as Chairman of the U.S. Inter-agency Task Force on POW/MIAs. In 1979, while on the staff of Governor Robert Ray, he was the Director of Iowa SHARES, the humanitarian campaign that sent Iowa doctors, nurses, medical supplies and food to starving Cambodian refugees.
Dr. Quinn emerged from these experiences as one of the U.S. government’s foremost experts on Indochina. He wrote his doctoral dissertation on the origins of the radical Pol Pot regime and is widely acknowledged as the first person anywhere to report, in 1974, on the genocidal policies of the Khmer Rouge. Twenty years later, while serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, his plan of agricultural enhancements and rural roads led to the final eradication of the Khmer Rouge.
A fluent speaker of Vietnamese during his diplomatic career, Dr. Quinn acted as interpreter for President Gerald Ford at the White House and personally negotiated the first ever entry by U.S. personnel into a Vietnamese prison to search for U.S. POW/MIAs. He was also a member of the first U.S. team to gain entry to a former Soviet prison in Russia.
Ambassador Quinn rose to become one of the most decorated Foreign Service officers of his generation, recognized for the important role he played in humanitarian endeavors, as well as for his actions in dangerous and violent situations.
His honors include:
Ambassador Quinn, a graduate of Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, has a M.A. in Political Science from Marquette University and a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Maryland. He and his wife Le Son have three adult children.
Vice-President, Agricultural, Human and Social Development, AfDB
Vice-President, Agricultural, Human and Social Development, AfDB
Dr. Jennifer Blanke is Vice-President Agriculture, Human and Social Development at the African Development Bank Group, responsible for overseeing the Bank’s strategy and activities in this area. She was previously Chief Economist at the World Economic Forum, overseeing economic research activities and projects. She has written and lectured extensively on issues related to national competitiveness. Blanke holds a doctoral degree in International Economics from the Graduate Institute in Geneva, Switzerland, as well as a Master of International Affairs and International Economic Policy from Columbia University in New York.. She is also presently a member of the Canadian government’s Council of Economic Growth and holds a number of non-executive board responsibilities in the not-for-profit sector.
Former President, IFAD & Inaugural Africa Food Prize Winner
Former President, IFAD & Inaugural Africa Food Prize Winner
Managing Director, Africa, The Rockefeller Foundation
Managing Director, Africa, The Rockefeller Foundation
Mamadou Biteye is the Managing Director for The Rockefeller Foundation Africa Regional Office. In this role, Biteye oversees the Foundation’s work across Africa, which includes initiatives in youth employment, health, philanthropy, agriculture and food security, among others.
Biteye has a wealth of expertise in the development sector in Africa. An agricultural economist by training, he has over twenty-five years’ experience in strategic leadership, program development and implementation, public policy analysis, advocacy and campaigning and community participatory development.
Some noteworthy achievements from his career include co-designing a micro-finance programme with Oxfam that is today improving the lives of over 700, 000 women in Mali and Senegal; Playing a key role in the development of policy processes in West Africa e.g. the ECOWAS’ Convention on Small Arms, and the ECOWAS’ regional mining directives. His accomplishments at the Foundation include executing Digital Jobs Africa, an initiative to connect Africa’s youth to jobs in the ICT sector; Leading the design and implementation of YieldWise, a $130m effort to halve post-harvest loss in Kenya, Tanzania and Nigeria; At policy level, convening the Leadership for Agriculture (L4Ag) network of African ministers of agriculture and ministers of finance, a platform to enable them work better together to invest more to transform the sector; Co-creating PIATA, a new $280m Partnership for Inclusive Agricultural Transformation in Africa, among others.
Biteye is an honorary Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), awarded for work done under Oxfam GB, where he had been Regional Director for West Africa before joining the Foundation. He is a member of several advisory boards, including the World Economic Forum’s Futures Council on Agriculture and Food Security.
Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, African Union Commission (AUC)
Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, African Union Commission (AUC)
H.E. Madam Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, an Angolan national, is a leading African Agronomist. She was elected as the new Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture of the African Union Commission.
Prior to that, She was a Special Adviser to two Ministers in Angola, her home country: the Angolan Minister of Environment where she also served as Ambassador responsible for Climate Change. In the Department of the minister of Agriculture Mme Sacko oversaw Food Security, Eradication of Hunger and Poverty Reduction.
The former Secretary General of the Inter African Coffee Organization (IACO) for 13 years in Cote D’Ivoire where she represented Coffee economy for 25 African Coffee producing countries. During her tenure, she successfully advocated for the empowerment of small scale coffee farmers across the continent by setting up Regional Centres of Excellence for Capacity Building of Member States, on Genetic Material Conservation, Coffee Quality Improvement and Cup Tasting Liquor in Cote d’Ivoire, Uganda, Cameroon and Zambia.
Madam Sacko is one of the African Women Africa should be proud of, and she has built up her international profile and reputation by working with Regional, Global Institutional on Agriculture and many other sectors supported by World Trade Organization (WTO), African Union (AU), International Coffee Organization (ICO), African Development Bank (AFDB), African Bank for Export and Import (AFREXIMBANK), (FAO), UNECA, NEPAD etc. The other notable cooperation/partnerships she has worked with include the Regional Economic Communities (RECS), namely, SADC, COMESA, ECOWAS and EAC, where she has actively participated to address the challenges encountered by small scale farmers in Africa, ensuring that they remain a central focus in regional and national policy making for development. Madam Sacko speaks fluent Portuguese, French, English, Spanish and Lingala.
Senior Adviser and Head of Global Initiatives, Yara International
Senior Adviser and Head of Global Initiatives, Yara International
Arne Cartridge is a lead strategist and practitioner in developing public-private partnerships for a sustainable development. He is currently Senior Adviser and Head of Global Initiatives at Yara International. He previously held positions as the Executive Director of Grow Africa, Senior Director at the World Economic Forum, Executive Vice President with Yara International ASA, and has held senior management positions with Telenor, Gazette, and Digital Equipment Corp. Mr. Cartridge is the initiator of the African Green Revolution Forum and the Yara Prize, now the Africa Food Prize and is the Chair of the Farm to Market Alliance. Cartridge has served as the Chairman of the Board for the humanitarian organization CARE Norway, been on the board of CARE International and on the board of the Global Fairness Initiative, and been acting Managing Director for the Food and Land Use Initiative at the World Business Council on Sustainable Development.
Africa Director, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Africa Director, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Dr. Ousmane Badiane, recipient of the Africa Food Prize in 2015 and a Distinguished Fellow of the African Association of Agricultural Economists, is the Director for Africa at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). He oversees the institute’s programs and partnerships in Africa. As an Advisor to the NEPAD Secretariat from 2004 to 2007, he was instrumental in developing and guiding the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). Before his current tenure at IFPRI, Dr. Badiane was Lead Specialist for Food and Agricultural Policy for the Africa Department at the World Bank and Adjunct Professor for Economics of Development in Africa at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. Dr. Badiane received a Masters Degree and PhD in agricultural economics from the University of Kiel in Germany. He is also recipient of a Doctoral Degree Honoris Causa from the University of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa
Chairman and CEO of the OCP Group
Chairman and CEO of the OCP Group
Mr. Mostafa TERRAB has served since June 2008 as Chairman and CEO of the OCP Group, a global leader in the phosphate sector. After being appointed Director General of the Office Chérifien des Phosphates, OCP’s predecessor entity, in February 2006, he led its transformation from a state administration to a global corporation.
Mr. TERRAB’s distinguished career has spanned the public, private and university sectors and a range of expert fields. After an engineering degree from the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (Paris, France 1979), he received an M.S. (1982) and Ph.D. (1990) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Mr. TERRAB worked for Bechtel Civil and Minerals Inc. (1983/85) in San Francisco, California, as an analyst in transportation systems. From 1988 to 1990, he was a fellow of Draper Laboratory, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Between 1990 and 1992, he was an assistant professor at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, where he held joint appointments in the Department of Decision Sciences and Engineering Systems and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Between 1992 and 1998, Mr. TERRAB was an advisor in the Royal Cabinet, Rabat, a period during which he also served as Secretary General of the Middle East/North Africa Economic Summit.
In 1998, he was appointed as the first Director General of the Moroccan National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (ANRT). He joined the World Bank in 2002 as Lead Regulatory Specialist in the Global Information and Communications Department; he also headed the World Bank’s Information for Development (INFODEV) program.
Director, CTA
Director, CTA
Michael Hailu has been Director of the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) since May 2010. He has more than 30 years of experience in agricultural research, communications and development in Africa and Asia. Prior to joining CTA, he held senior leadership positions at the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) in Nairobi, Kenya and at the Center for International Forestry Research in Indonesia.
Mr Hailu has implemented major strategic realignment of the CTA refocusing the Centre’s work on promoting innovations and capacities to advance youth and women entrepreneurship, digitalization and climate resilience in agriculture. He has degrees from the Universities of Pittsburgh, USA and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and has been trained in strategic leadership at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business in the United States.
Board Member, AGRA
Board Member, AGRA
His Excellency Former President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete served as the President of the United Republic of Tanzania for two terms. He holds a degree in Economics from the University of Dar es Salaam and started his career in the ruling party and the military, where he rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel before retiring from the army in 1992. He joined the Cabinet in 1988 and held several ministerial portfolios including Minister for Finance, Minister for Water, Energy and Mineral Resources and Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. During his tenure in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he led Tanzania’s efforts to bring about peace in the Great Lakes region, particularly in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). As Chairman of East African Community’s Council of Ministers, he played a pivotal role in moving forward the process of regional integration in East Africa, particularly the delicate negotiations of establishing a Customs Union between Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. He also Co-chaired the Helsinki Process on Globalization and Democracy with the Foreign Minister of Finland. In 2007, President Kikwete was elected Chairman of the SADC Organ on Security, Defense and Politics. On 31 January 2008, President Kikwete was elected Chairman of the African Union Assembly of Heads of States and Government, where he took a proactive role in the resolution of conflicts in the Republic of Kenya, the Comoros and the Democratic Republic of Congo. He also advanced to greater heights the relations between the AU and the UN, EU and International Community at large. He has completed his Chairmanship of the East African Community and it was during his tenure that the EAC signed and ratified the Protocol on the Common Market. He left negotiations on the Monetary Union at an advanced stage. On retirement he spends time in his home village of Msoga where he is a dairy farmer and Kiwangwa where he grows pineapples and papayas.
Director, Africa Secretariat Alliance for African Partnership (AAP) | Chairperson Malawi National Planning Commission.
Director, Africa Secretariat Alliance for African Partnership (AAP) | Chairperson Malawi National Planning Commission.
Prof. Richard Mkandawire is a Socio-economist and a Rural Development expert. He is currently; the Director of the Alliance for African Partnership (AAP), Africa Secretariat and Chairman, Malawi Planning Commission. Before joining AAP, he worked as Vice President of the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP) where he led a team of experts in driving innovative interventions for efficient and effective delivery of fertilizers among smallholder famers in Africa.
Prior to joining AFAP, Prof Mkandawire was Senior Advisor to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), where he was the principal architect in the design of NEPAD’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) and a catalyzer for its acceptance by African Heads of State and Donor Agencies. During CAADP’s critical initial decade, he served as CAADP’s heart and soul, as well as its public face.
Prof Mkandawire academic career includes teaching and research at Bunda College of Agriculture (LUANAR) where he was at the helm of leadership in the establishment of the Centre for Agriculture Research and Development (CARD). He also served as an external examiner to a number of Universities in East and Southern Africa.
Prof. Mkandawire development initiatives have been recognized across the continent. In 2008 he received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Kwazulu Natal for his work in spearheading the CAADP agenda and in 2008 he was an awardee of “Drivers of Change” for his leadership in driving CAADP acceptance by African Heads of State and Government and development partners. In 2012 the University of Pretoria appointed him as “Extra-Ordinary Professor” for his contribution to spearheading agriculture transformation in Africa.
President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
Gilbert F. Houngbo became the sixth President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) on 1 April 2017. Born and raised in rural Togo, Houngbo has spent more than 30 years working to improve the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable people, and has extensive experience in political affairs, international development, diplomacy and financial management.
Prior to his appointment as IFAD President, Houngbo was the Deputy Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), where he led field operations in more than 100 countries and managed bilateral and multilateral partnerships.
From 2008 to 2012, he served as Prime Minister of the Togolese Republic, where he introduced economic reforms and enhanced the rule of law and civil liberties. From 1996 to 2008, he undertook a number of roles at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), including Chief of Staff, Assistant Secretary-General and Africa Regional Director, and led poverty alleviation programmes in 45 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Before this, he spent a decade in the private sector, including at Price Waterhouse, Canada, where he worked in Audit and Financial Advisory Services.
Houngbo has a Matrîse en gestion des entreprises from the University of Lomé, Togo, and a Diplôme d’Etudes Supérieures Spécialisées in Specialised Accounting from the University of Quebec, Canada. He is a member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants.
Established in 2006 and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) was founded through a partnership between the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Today however, AGRA’s donor base has since expanded to include governments as well as other international organizations. AGRA works across the continent to help millions of smallholder farmers to boost their farm productivity and incomes. To date, AGRA has supported hundreds of projects, including efforts to develop and deliver better seeds, increase farm yields, improve soil fertility, upgrade storage facilities, improve market information systems, strengthen farmers’ associations, expand access to credit for farmers and small suppliers, and advocate for national policies that benefit smallholder farmers. AGRA aims to play a central role in transforming the agricultural sector in Africa and its food system.
In support of the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), AGRA hosts the Secretariat and takes a lead role in facilitating the development of the annual theme of the conference and coordinating the work of the Thematic Working Groups.
A Norwegian chemical company, YARA was established in 1905 as Norsk Hydro, the world’s first producer of mineral nitrogen fertilizers and de-merged as Yara International ASA in 2004. While the Norwegian government is its largest shareholder, Yara is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange and has its headquarters in Oslo. The company has more than 12,000 employees, production sites on six continents, operations in more than 50 countries and sales to about 150 countries. Its largest business area is the production of nitrogen fertilizer, however it also encompasses the production of dry ice, nitrates, ammonia, urea and other nitrogen-based chemicals.
In support of the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), YARA Co-Chairs the Inputs Thematic Working Group and regularly participates in AGRF sessions, workshops, programs related to the development of the inputs value chain(s) in Africa.
Established in 1913, the Rockefeller Foundation is a private foundation started by Standard Oil owner John D. Rockefeller. The Foundation’s mission is “promoting the well-being of humanity throughout the world. Today, the Foundation pursues that mission with dual goals of building greater resilience and advancing more inclusive economies. Through its portfolio of initiatives, Rockefeller Foundation strives to catalyze and scale transformative innovations, convene sector-spanning partnerships, and create systemic change to benefit poor and vulnerable people around the world.
In support of the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), AFAP Co-Chairs the Markets, Trade and Domestic Private Sector Thematic Working Group and regularly participates in AGRF sessions, workshops, programs related to the promotion of intra-African trade, expanded market access for small holder markets in Africa and the development of the continent’s domestic private sector that is active in agriculture and agribusiness.
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Dr. Susan Desmond-Hellmann and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
CTA is a joint international institution of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States and the European Union (EU). CTA operates under the framework of the Cotonou Agreement and is funded by the EU.
CTA’s activities contribute directly toward achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with specific focus on:
Founded in 1920 in Morocco, the OCP Group is the world’s leading producer and exporter of phosphates in all forms and an essential player on the global fertilizers market. Established in 2016, OCP AFRICA, is a subsidiary of OCP dedicated specifically to the African continent. OCP Africa aims to contribute to meeting the challenge of creating structured, efficient and sustainable agriculture on the continent of Africa, by providing agricultural producers with all the resources they need in order to succeed: suitable, affordable products, services and partnerships, logistics and financial solutions. To support the local development, OCP AFRICA plans to open about fifteen national subsidiaries in Africa over the coming months.
In support of the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), OCP participates in AGRF sessions, workshops, programs related to the development of the inputs value chain(s) in Africa.
Headquartered in Rome, Italy, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is a specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries. It was established as an international financial institution in 1977 as one of the major outcomes of the 1974 World Food Conference.
In support of the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), through its nominee AFRACA – The African Rural and Agriculture Credit Association, IFAD Co-Chairs the Finance Thematic Working Group and regularly participates in AGRF related sessions, workshops, programs related to the improvement of access to finance in Africa by small holder farmers.
The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is a multilateral development finance institution established to contribute to the economic development and social progress of African countries. The AfDB was founded in 1964 and comprises three entities: The African Development Bank, the African Development Fund and the Nigeria Trust Fund. The AfDB’s mission is to fight poverty and improve living conditions on the continent through promoting the investment of public and private capital in projects and programs that are likely to contribute to the economic and social development of the region. The AfDB is a financial provider to African governments and private companies investing in its regional member countries.
In support of the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), the AfDB Co-Chairs the Agricultural Infrastructure, Technology and Mechanization Thematic Working Group and regularly participates in AGRF sessions, workshops, programs related to the improvement of agriculture infrastructure in Africa, and the acceleration of technology use and mechanization on the continent.
Established by an act of Canada’s parliament in 1970 with a mandate “to initiate, encourage, support, and conduct research into the problems of the developing regions of the world and into the means for applying and adapting scientific, technical, and other knowledge to the economic and social advancement of those regions”, the International Development Research Center (IDRC) is a “Crown” corporation that supports leading thinkers who advance knowledge and solve practical development problems. IDRC provides the resources, advice, and training needed to implement and share their solutions with those who need them most. In short, IDRC increases opportunities — and makes a real difference in people’s lives.
In support of the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), the IDRC Co-Chairs the Capacity Development, Women and Youth in Agriculture Thematic Working Group and regularly participates in AGRF sessions, workshops, programs related to improving the capacity of farmer’s organizations, and women and youth owned agricultural enterprises.
Founded in 1945, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations is an intergovernmental organization comprised of 194 Member Nations, two associate members and one member organization, the European Union. Headquartered in Rome, Italy, FAO is present in over 130 countries. FAO’s three main goals are: the eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition; the elimination of poverty and the driving forward of economic and social progress for all; and, the sustainable management and utilization of natural resources, including land, water, air, climate and genetic resources for the benefit of present and future generations.
In support of the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), the FAO participates in AGRF sessions, workshops, programs related to value chain development.
Established in 2013, initially as a special initiative of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, the African Fertilizer and Agribusiness Partnership (AFAP) is a non-governmental organization with its headquarters in South Africa. AFAP works with private businesses to establish more competitive and sustainable fertilizer markets in Africa and to contribute to an African Green Revolution. Using an innovative partnership contract, AFAP joins industry and development interests to inspire productivity, food security and prosperity in Africa.
In support of the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), AFAP Co-Chairs the Inputs Thematic Working Group and regularly participates in AGRF sessions, workshops, programs related to the development of the inputs value chain(s) in Africa.
Formed in 2000 by the merger of Novartis Agribusiness and Zeneca Agrochemicals, Syngenta AG is a global Swiss agribusiness that produces agrochemicals and seeds. As a biotechnology company, it conducts genomic research. Syngenta is one of the world’s largest crop chemical producer and the strongest in Europe.
In support of the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), Syngenta participates in AGRF sessions, workshops, programs related to the development of the inputs value chain(s) in Africa – and is also a supporter of youth in agriculture initiatives.
A Norwegian chemical company, YARA was established in 1905 as Norsk Hydro, the world’s first producer of mineral nitrogen fertilizers and de-merged as Yara International ASA in 2004. While the Norwegian government is its largest shareholder, Yara is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange and has its headquarters in Oslo. The company has more than 12,000 employees, production sites on six continents, operations in more than 50 countries and sales to about 150 countries. Its largest business area is the production of nitrogen fertilizer, however it also encompasses the production of dry ice, nitrates, ammonia, urea and other nitrogen-based chemicals.
In support of the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), YARA Co-Chairs the Inputs Thematic Working Group and regularly participates in AGRF sessions, workshops, programs related to the development of the inputs value chain(s) in Africa.
The African Union is a continental union consisting of all 55 countries on the African continent. It was established in 2001 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and launched in July 2002 in South Africa, with the aim of replacing the Organization of African Unity (OAU). The most important decisions of the African Union (AU) are made by the Assembly of the African Union, a semi-annual meeting of the Heads of State and Government of its member states. The AU’s executive/administrative branch or secretariat, the African Union Commission (AUC), is based in Addis Ababa and is made up of portfolios named Departments and consist of; Peace and Security; Political Affairs; Trade and Industry; Infrastructure and Energy; Social Affairs; Rural Economy and Agriculture; Human Resources, Science and Technology; and Economic Affairs. The Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA), in collaboration with NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Member States, is mandated to work with African institutions, civil society, private sector and development partners to support the implementation of AU decisions related to the development of the agricultural sector, rural economies and the environment in order to improve the livelihoods of African people and ensure food security and sound environmental management. It was established with the objective of promoting agricultural and rural development; and, strives to boost AU Member states’ rural economy development and agricultural productivity by supporting the adoption of measures, strategies, policies and programmes on agriculture.
The NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NEPAD Agency) was established in 2010 as an outcome of the integration of NEPAD into AU structures and processes. The NEPAD Agency is the implementing agency of the African Union that advocates for NEPAD, facilitates and coordinates the development of NEPAD continent-wide programs and projects, mobilizes resources and engages the global community, regional economic communities and member states in the implementation of these programs and projects. The NEPAD Agency replaced the NEPAD Secretariat which had coordinated the implementation of NEPAD programs and projects since 2001.
In support of the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), the NEPAD Agency regularly participates in AGRF related sessions, workshops, programs related to the development of AGRF as an accountability platform toward the achievement of the Malabo Commitments and the CAADP results framework.
Headquartered in South Africa, the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) is a not-for-profitfarmer organization representing national agricultural unions in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. SACAU was formed in 1992, initially by six farmer organizations but has since expanded its membership to include 17 farmer organizations in 12 countries. In addition, there are associate members, including regional commodity organizations and private companies associated with agricultural value chains on a regional basis.
In support of the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), the SACAU Co-Chairs the Capacity Development, Women and Youth in Agriculture Thematic Working Group and regularly participates in AGRF sessions, workshops, programs related to improving the capacity of farmer’s organizations, and women and youth owned agricultural enterprises.
is committed to a transformative agenda to agricultural development which is growth oriented and enterprise development focused. Core to its mission is promoting, advancing, protecting, defending the common interests of farmers in the region.
The Grow Africa Partnership was founded jointly by the African Union (AU), The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the World Economic Forum in 2011. Grow Africa works to increase private sector investment in agriculture, and accelerate the execution and impact of investment commitments. The aim is to enable countries to realize the potential of the agriculture sector for economic growth and job creation, particularly among farmers, women and youth. Grow Africa brokers collaboration between governments, international and domestic agriculture companies, and smallholder farmers in order to lower the risk and cost of investing in agriculture, and improve the speed of return to all stakeholders.
In support of the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), GROW Africa Co-Chairs the Finance Thematic Working Group and regularly participates in AGRF related sessions, workshops, programs related to the improvement of access to finance and investment capital in Africa by small holder farmers and African agribusiness actors.
The MasterCard Foundation is an independent global foundation that works to “advance youth learning and promote financial inclusion to catalyze prosperity in developing countries. Since its inception in 2006, it has collaborated with partners in developing countries, with a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. It is based at the Eaton Centre in Toronto, Canada and operates independently of MasterCard Worldwide.
A new partner within the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), the MasterCard Foundation supports AGRF related sessions, workshops, programs related to financial inclusiveness in the African agriculture sector.
“At Mother Africa Needs You (MANY), we believe in the future of a better life
We believe that we can bring the African countries to the forefront of investment in agriculture, education, health care, infrastructure and opportunity for small-to-mid-sized enterprises, beginning with our headquarters in Côte d’Ivoire.
Our message to a modern African and American diaspora wishing to save and invest with us: “Up you might nation. You can accomplish what you will.
The MANY platform will link nascent corporations on the continent to the above-stated clients according to agreed-upon levels of exposure to risk and appetite for returns. We must go further. Indeed, Africa’s growth is not generating enough exports. More agriculture, education, and sector-specific professional training is needed to improve African productivity and status as an emergent economic force.
MANY will be a ground-breaking opportunities to investors and their consortia to build the first city designed, engineered and developed entirely by Africans and the Diaspora.
MANY initiatives will serve as a magnet for a myriad of investors in several agricultural projects across the continent.
We hope you are ready to accompany us in our quest for reviving agricultural and economic empowerment beginning with the African American community.”
The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change aims to help make globalisation work for the many, not the few. We do this by helping countries, their people and their governments address some of the most difficult challenges in the world today.