The African Development Bank Group and the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centres (CGIAR) announced their commitment on Thursday to strengthen collaboration, aiming to bolster food production and enhance nutrition for Africa’s burgeoning population. With 65% of the global uncultivated arable land, the African Development Bank asserts that the continent holds the potential to feed both itself and the rest of the world.
In a significant move towards achieving this goal, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank, convened Africa-based Directors General of CGIAR at the bank’s headquarters in Abidjan. The meeting focused on devising strategies to escalate food and agricultural productivity across the continent.
CGIAR centers, strategically positioned throughout African nations, concentrate on elevating food and nutrition security, alleviating poverty, and enhancing natural resources and ecosystem services. Their role is deemed critical in realizing food security across the continent, much akin to their counterparts in Southeast Asia and Latin America, which have played pivotal roles in accelerating agricultural growth and achieving food self-sufficiency.
This meeting marked the first concerted group visit by the four Directors General/Regional Directors and one Deputy Director General of CGIAR for Africa to a financing partner. It occurred shortly after a visit from United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who commended the bank for its exceptional efforts in aiding Africa’s self-sufficiency in food production.
The discussions revolved around securing long-term financing for research endeavors and enhancing CGIAR’s effectiveness throughout the continent. They also explored avenues for capacity building among country-based national agricultural research services partners, young scientists, extension workers, and private-sector seed growers to facilitate the production of certified seeds.
The African Development Bank played a pivotal role in the reform process of CGIAR, ensuring its relevance and sustainability in Africa.
Dr. Adesina emphasized, “I am pleased with the reforms at CGIAR, and we must ensure that it is held accountable for results which must be at scale. We must unlock Africa’s agricultural potential and deploy technologies to millions of African farmers. CGIAR is central to that.”
He further mentioned the possibility of including CGIAR in the bank’s long-term lending program to countries, underscoring CGIAR’s local knowledge, experience, and networks in collaborating with national institutions to combat climate change and bolster productivity and food security.
The bank also expressed interest in collaborating with CGIAR to expand its initiatives on capacity development for young scientists and farmers.
The delegation affirmed its readiness to support the Bank’s regional member countries in implementing the outcomes of the Dakar 2 Food Summit, which convened jointly by the Bank, the African Union, and the government of Senegal in January 2023, mobilizing over $70 billion in global efforts.
CGIAR Regional Director for Continental Africa and Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr. Simeon Ehui, stated, “The African Development Bank has been a long-standing partner of CGIAR in providing technology. We are confident that the African Development Bank’s support will continue and increase.”
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