Green Revolution in Africa Conference, Oslo

The third annual Africa Green Revolution Conference was held in Oslo, Norway, 27-29 August. The host of this prestigious event was the global fertilizer company Yara International.

The theme of this year’s conference, An Alliance for Action, was most appropriate for an organisation like AGRA, which promotes strategic alliances for improving productivity and profitability of small-scale farms throughout the continent. AGRA was well represented at the conference. Mr Kofi A Annan, Chairman of the Board, set the standard for the meeting with an unusual but intriguing ‘Keynote Interview’. Instead of giving a speech, Mr Annan was interviewed onstage by Mr Peter Ndoro, Senior Anchor of CNBC Africa. At the conclusion of the interview, Mr Annan fielded questions from the audience.

Following the interview, the Keynote Address was given by the Honourable Bingu wa Mutharika, President of Malawi. Mr Mutharika has gained worldwide recognition for his sterling efforts to rid his poverty-stricken country from hunger once and for all. Putting his faith in the strength of Malawian farmers with government support, he has pushed through policies that have moved Malawi from a chronic candidate for food aid to a surplus-producing economy.

After these two important keynote presentations, the conference moved ahead with a series of panel discussions, many of which featured AGRA staff and board members. The first panel discussion, Food security and growth – a win-win agenda, included both AGRA President Namanga Ngongi and Board member Dr Monty Jones, Executive Director and Head of Mission, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA). Another panel discussion on New models of engagement: Increasing the return on donor investment turned out to be a lively one featuring a pair of dynamic speakers: Dr Jeffery Sachs of The Earth Institute at Columbia University and AGRA’s Akin Adesina, Vice President for Policy and Partnerships.

The conference was concluded with an evening of entertainment that featured a mélange of African and Norwegian music and dance, followed by the eagerly awaited presentation of the Yara Prize for a Green Revolution in Africa. This year’s prize was awarded jointly to Dr Florence Wambugu, Founder and CEO of Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International of Nairobi, and Mr Victor Mfinanga, Founder and Managing Director of Shambani Graduates Enterprises of Morogoro, Tanzania. Dr Wambugu is a collaborator of AGRA.

The panel discussions and the satellite meetings generated many excellent ideas as to how to improve the lot of the hardworking sub-Saharan farmers, most of whom are women. Recalling President Mutharika’s message in his keynote address, many participants expressed their support for convening next year’s Green Revolution in Africa Conference in the continent where it really belongs – Africa!

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About the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
AGRA is a dynamic partnership working across the African continent to help millions of small-scale farmers and their families lift themselves out of poverty and hunger. AGRA programmes develop practical solutions to significantly boost farm productivity and incomes for the poor while safeguarding the environment. AGRA advocates for policies that support its work across all key aspects of the African agricultural value chain ­from seeds, soil health and water to markets and agricultural education.

AGRA's Board of Directors is chaired by Kofi A Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations. Dr Namanga Ngongi, former Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme, is AGRA's president. With support from The Rockefeller Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK's Department for International Development and other donors, AGRA works across sub-Saharan Africa and maintains offices in Nairobi, Kenya, and Accra, Ghana.