The 13th annual Africa Food Systems Forum convened from September 5th to 8th, 2023, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania under the leadership of Samia Suluhu Hassan, the United Republic of Tanzania President.
The Summit-themed Recover, Regenerate, Act: Africa’s Solutions to Food Systems Transformation will provide a platform to over 4,000 delegates, leaders, and innovators from across the globe to discuss policy, breakthroughs and innovations in agriculture and food systems transformation.
During a press conference held at State House Tanzania on September 3, 2023, Hon. Hussein Mohamed Bashe, the Tanzania Minister of Agriculture, warmly welcomed delegates from Tanzania and beyond attending the summit. He emphasized that the Forum represents a significant milestone in the journey towards establishing inclusive and sustainable food systems transformation throughout the continent. “This year the summit places a strong emphasis on empowering women and youth, recognizing their pivotal roles in reshaping Africa’s food landscape,” he stated. Minister Hussein Bashe also touched on how Tanzania is working to address food security and job creation through Tanzania’s flagship initiative, the “Building a Better Tomorrow: Youth Initiative for Agribusiness (BBT-YIA),” which aims to provide agribusiness training to 200,000 young individuals and support 15,000 youth-led agribusiness ventures in Tanzanian villages over the next five years.
Aligned with these initiatives, the Africa Food Systems Forum 2023 will specifically address the optimization of youth employment within Africa’s food systems while showcasing the innovative agribusiness ventures driven by young entrepreneurs.
Amath Pathe Sene, the Managing Director of the Africa Food Systems Forum, underscored the pressing need to tackle food system challenges, stressing that “It is imperative that we make our voices heard, develop solutions that are rooted in our local context, and give paramount importance to the empowerment of women and youth in the process of transforming our food systems.”
The Forum will also build momentum for the Food Systems Transformation dialogue ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference COP 28 in Dubai. Key highlights include thematic plenary sessions with expert speakers, a ministerial roundtable involving over 40 ministers, and a high-level session where Heads of States will make commitments to advance Africa’s Food Systems transformation.
