Kampala: Uganda will host the ASARECA Agriculture Ministerial Conference (AAMC) from May 17 – 18, 2023 in Kampala, this Website has learnt.

 The conference which will run under the theme “Building Resilient Food Systems to Feed Africa for Generations” will involve Agriculture Ministers from 14 countries namely: Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

The Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) is a not-for-profit sub-regional organization of the National Agriculture Research Systems (NARS) of 14 countries namely: Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. ASARECA is mandated to coordinate and convene human, physical, financial, and institutional capital to implement Agricultural Research for Development (AR4D) initiatives in Eastern and Central Africa (ECA).

The East and Central Africa sub-region, just like the rest of the world, has faced the unprecedented and debilitating impacts of the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the Russia-Ukraine crisis on the existing food systems, processes and livelihoods across the globe, which has economic recession with some Sub-Saharan Africa, economies contracting by over 2.8%.

The high morbidity associated with the various waves of the pandemic as well as the national and regional-level restrictions have exerted serious implications on food systems, especially agricultural productivity and food and nutrition security in ECA.  This was further exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine war, which significantly affected the supply chains for cereal grains, fertiliser, and petroleum to Africa. These twin challenges have become a significant threat to ending extreme poverty and eradicating hunger in Africa, and risks wiping out the modest gains registered in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the Malabo Declaration, and Agenda 2063.

The First ASARECA Council of Patron Ministers’ (CPM) Summit of May 2019 placed emphasis on fostering joint action to address transboundary challenges. It is this spirit that the ASARECA Secretariat is convening the AAMC to deliberate on mechanisms for enhancing the momentum in Building Resilient Food Systems to Feed Africa for Generations.

The AAMC is expected to generate consensus, actions and commitments to enhance the momentum in facilitating Resilient Food Systems. This concern and call for action fits well within the ASARECA Strategy and Results Framework and the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Ex-Pillar IV (CAADP-XP4) initiative, which is funded by the European Union (EU) and managed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the UN Food Systems Summit.