Despite positive and ongoing gains in economic development in many African countries, hunger is on the rise, impacting some 246 million people. The Covid-19 pandemic has shone a spotlight on the cracks in the continent’s food systems, already under strain from climate change, conflict and pests. Increased investments and expanded partnerships are urgently needed to promote Africa’s agricultural transformation through technology and innovation.

 The African Development Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in partnership with the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and the CGIAR System Organization, will co-host a high-level dialogue: Feeding Africa: leadership to scale up successful innovations.

 The online forum will bring together African heads of state, senior government officials, heads of multilateral development banks, development partners, regional organizations, research institutions, business leaders, private sector operators, investment agencies, academia, civil society organizations and experts from across Africa and beyond.

The Feeding Africa high-level dialogue will conclude with a communiqué that will contribute to the pre-Food Systems Summit in Rome in July 2021, and the United Nations Food Systems Summit later in the year.

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