Agric interventions must translate into tangible benefits for Africans- John Dumelo
The Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr John Dumelo, has called for renewed commitment to ensuring that agricultural interventions translate into tangible benefits for farmers, fishers, processors, youth and disadvantaged communities across Africa.
According to him, agricultural programmes and policies must be focused on delivering measurable results that improve livelihoods and strengthen food security.
Speaking at the opening of the 15th Regional Management Team Meeting of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in Accra on Monday, Mr Dumelo urged participants to use the meeting to strengthen efforts towards effective delivery and impact.
“Let us use this meeting to renew our collective commitment to delivery. Let us ensure that our work brings real change to farmers, fishers, processors, youth and disadvantaged communities,” he stated.
The three-day meeting, held on the theme: ‘Driving Efficiency for Delivery and Impact: Innovate. Accelerate. Scale,’ brought together senior leaders from Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations headquarters, FAO Representatives across Africa, Subregional Coordinators and Regional Office teams to discuss strategies for accelerating agrifood systems transformation on the continent.
Participants deliberated on issues including operational effectiveness, leadership and people management, analytics and evidence, supply chain management, risk-smart management, fiduciary oversight and the measurement of results.
The meeting also featured discussions on FAO flagship initiatives such as the Hand-in-Hand Initiative, One Country One Priority Product programme, Digital Villages and Green Cities, as well as gender and youth inclusion, monitoring and evaluation, science and innovation, and preparations towards the 4th FAO Global Working Conference scheduled to be hosted in Accra in December.
The Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Emilia Arthur, underscored the importance of strong partnerships in advancing Africa’s food systems agenda and commended the longstanding collaboration between Ghana and FAO.
She urged participants to “innovate boldly, accelerate delivery and scale what works” as African countries strive to transform their agrifood systems, improve resilience and strengthen food security.
Opening the meeting, Godfrey Magwenzi, Deputy Director-General of FAO, described Africa as central to the organisation’s relevance, credibility and future impact.
“Africa is where many pressures converge most visibly and where FAO must show that it can deliver with ambition, discipline and innovation,” he stated.
Mr Magwenzi stressed that demonstrating effective, coherent and scalable delivery in Africa would enhance the organisation’s overall performance and strengthen its global impact.
“If FAO is to scale its impact in Africa, we must strengthen our ability to deliver as one integrated system, avoiding duplication, shortening decision chains and operating as one coherent institution, as One FAO,” he added.
BY TIMES REPORTER
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