Transforming Africa’s agriculture sector to build back better

Ahead of the European Union– African Union Summit, held 17–18 February, a high-level pre-summit meeting was hosted by the European Parliament delegation for relations with the Pan African Parliament (DPAP). The pre-summit brought together Members of the European Parliament external policy committees, delegations and external stakeholders.

Opening the event, María Soraya RodrÍguez Ramos, Chair of the DPAP and Member of the European Parliamentary Alliance against Hunger and Malnutrition, noted “We need a strong EU-Africa partnership based on cooperation between equals to address the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic,”.

Topics discussed by participants included the COVID-19 recovery and vaccine-related issues, investments and innovation, food security and climate change, gender equality, good governance as well as peace and security.

In his intervention at the event, FAO Chief Economist Máximo Torero alluded to the food security situation of the African continent. “We need to improve capacities to prevent crises, while helping countries to cope with the situation in which they are today,” he said. Given the limited availability of financing, it is essential that investments in agriculture are prioritized, he added. “Numbers matter,” said Torero, who underscored the importance of transforming the agriculture sector to build back better. He added that “There can be no health without food.” 

You can see the recording of the event here.