Director-General meets President of Equatorial Guinea at FAO Regional Conference for Africa in Malabo
Malabo – FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, today met the President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, on the first day of his visit to Africa. The meeting took place on side-lines of the 32nd Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Africa, where both leaders spoke at the opening ceremony of the Ministerial Session.
The biennial Regional Conference is FAO’s highest governance mechanism in Africa and is being hosted by Equatorial Guinea in Malabo from 11 to 14 April.
During the bilateral meeting, the Director-General thanked Equatorial Guinea for hosting the regional conference and for the warm hospitality and support provided for the preparation of this important meeting, with representatives of 54 African countries, who participated either in-person or remotely.
The President expressed his profound gratitude to FAO for entrusting to his country the hosting of this regional conference.
The Director-General also expressed his appreciation for the fruitful collaboration between FAO and Equatorial Guinea in striving towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Malabo targets.
Qu stressed the importance of youth empowerment and the need to address this through innovation and digitalization of agrifood systems. Both leaders spoke of the need to transform Africa’s agrifood system to be more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable.
Qu stressed that FAO’s main objectives are to support Members to transform agrifood systems and promote rural development to achieve the Four Betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life for all, leaving no one behind.
He said that FAO is focused in particular on SDG 1 No Poverty, SDG 2 No Hunger and SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities.
During the Opening Ceremony, the Director-General referred to the majestic ceiba tree which dots the island of Malabo, and which is the emblem of the national flag of Equatorial Guinea, and said that Africa should stand tall and strong like the ceiba tree in the face of complex challenges facing the continent.
The Director-General is visiting Equatorial Guinea for three days and will be meeting with Ministers from over 20 countries including incoming and outgoing African Regional Conference Chairs, and the Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).