West African agriculture market in focus at Agra Innovate

Nigerian and international agricultural policymakers, agribusiness leaders, farmers, technologists and investors will gather to discuss the latest in agriculture in Nigeria and the whole of West Africa.
The exhibition which will be holding at the Landmark Centre in Lagos is the fourth edition of the Agra Innovate West Africa expo, taking place from 21 – 22 November 2017.
The exhibition being supported by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD) and the Nigeria Agribusiness Group (NABG), will have the minister of agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Chief Mrs Onikepo Akande, President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and two-time former Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Nigeria, delivering the keynote address at the event.
Organised by KNect365 (an Informa business) and Contact Consulting Nigeria, the event will facilitates two days of intensive knowledge sharing, networking, technology transfer and deal-making. The event consists of a vibrant exhibition area featuring the latest agribusiness innovations and over 30 free agriculture seminars which are free-to-attend for all members of the agribusiness community who register online.
“After the success of last year’s Agra Innovate in Nigeria, we are ensuring that the upcoming exhibition will again have the great ambience all attendees have previously experienced. The seminars have consistently been the best in terms of layout, facilities and hospitality. It will be the one place this year where the whole agriculture industry will come together to learn and do business.” states Folusho Olaniyan OON, Programme Director, Agra Innovate West Africa.
Apart from over 40 exhibitors and 60 speakers at the event, this year’s edition has a special general session for interacting with the Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh
Chronic undernourishment has risen to 224mn in Sub-Sahara Africa –FAO
The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has stated in it Africa Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition report (2017) that the number of undernourished people in sub- Saharan Africa has increased from 200 to 224 million due to the impact of conflict and climate change.
It stated that the situation points to urgent need to build affected communities’ resilience and to find peaceful solutions that strengthen food security.
According to the report released recently the prevalence of chronic undernourishment appears to have risen from 20.8 to 22.7% between 2015 and 2016.
FAO Assistant director general and Regional Representative for Africa, Bukar Tijani, said: “The number of people undernourished rose from 200 to 224 million, accounting for 25 percent of the 815 million people undernourished in the world in 2016.
“Major factors have caused this surge in hunger: the proportion of the population that has experienced severe food insecurity because of their inability to access food has risen in the region; as well, adverse climatic conditions and conflict, often occurring concurrently, are key factors driving the recent increase in food insecurity in the region,” Tijani explained.
The report, which this year features the theme: “The Food Security and Nutrition – Conflict Nexus: Building Resilience for Food Security, Nutrition and Peace” was launched today at the joint FAO/World Health Organization Symposium for Africa on Sustainable Food Systems for Healthy Diets and Improved Nutrition, taking place in Abidjan from 16 to 17 November 2019.
The report indicates that during the first decade of the millennium, sub-Saharan Africa made sound progress in the fight against hunger with the prevalence of undernourishment falling from 29.1 percent to 20.6 percent. However, this was followed by a period of no progress with a worsening of conditions in 2015 and 2016 in many countries. This was mainly due to the impact of conflict and to adverse climatic conditions such as repeated droughts – often linked to the El Niño phenomenon – resulting in poor harvests.
In sub-Saharan Africa, a majority of the population undernourished in 2016 live in countries affected by conflict. The prevalence of undernourishment is about twice as high in conflict-affected countries with a protracted crisis than in countries not affected by conflict, and nutrition outcomes are also generally worse in these countries.
A majority, or 489 million, of the 815 million people in the world that were undernourished in 2016 live in countries struggling with conflict, violence and fragility.
Although the frequency of wars has decreased over the decades, there has recently been a surge in the number of violent conflicts and conflict-related deaths. Over one third of the world’s highly violent conflicts took place in sub-Saharan Africa and of 19 conflict-affected countries in protracted crises, 13 are in sub-Saharan Africa.
The FAO report identifies a range of pathways through which support to food security and livelihoods can also help build resilience against conflict and contribute to sustaining peace. Given the complexity of conflicts and the conflict-food insecurity nexus, which climate change may amplify, a sustainable impact of food security and nutrition-related interventions on peace is more likely when implemented as part of a broader, multisectoral set of interventions before, during and after conflict.
The report note how many countries have developed or are developing policy frameworks and investment plans that are aligned with the goals of the Malabo Declaration and SDG 2. And this requires adequate funding, setting the right priorities and strengthening institutional.
Through the Malabo Declaration of 2014, African leaders reaffirmed the principles and values of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) recommitted their countries to end hunger and halve poverty by 2025, boost intra-African trade, and enhance the resilience of livelihoods and production systems to climate change and other shocks.