Read-out of the FAO Director-General’s meeting with Alambedji Abba Issa, Minister for Agriculture of the Republic of Niger

Rome - FAO Director-General QU Dongyu today met Alambedji Abba Issa, Minister for Agriculture of the Republic of Niger, at the sidelines of the World Food Forum (WFF) being held at FAO’s headquarters in Rome (17-21 October 2022).

The Minister was accompanied by Ali Bety, High Commissioner of the 3N (Nigeriens Nourishing Nigeriens) Initiative and Allahoury Diallo, Special Advisor to the President - Coordinator of the National Programme Agro-Industrial Poles.

The Minister for Agriculture expressed his appreciation for the close collaboration with FAO and his appreciation for the WFF. He noted the increase of food insecurity due to conflict and the valuable support provided by FAO to the Ministry of Agriculture in its emergency response.

The Director-General congratulated the Minister for the efforts being implemented to address the increased food insecurity. He highlighted to the Minister that under the Hand-in-Hand initiative, Niger is moving in the right direction to achieve its potential.  The Director-General also shared with the Minister the importance of digitalization for agrifood system transformation as a key component to drive innovation in the agriculture sector and as an enabler for youth engagement.

The two recommitted to a strong partnership moving forward.