Kofi Annan to spearhead forum on African Green Revolution in Accra

Kofi Annan, the former Secretary General of the United Nations is leading the campaign to accelerate an African green revolution.

At a forum to take place in Accra in the first week of September 2010, Mr. Annan will lead African heads of state, industry representatives, the international donor community and farmers to create an action plan on the acceleration of a green revolution in Africa.

Oragnisers of the forum in a press release copied to ghanabusinessnews.com said this is the first time the forum will be held in Africa. “It is expected to be one of the continent’s major gatherings of both public and private players to focus solely on agriculture development,” they said.

“We will be looking to governments for leadership to create an environment that will enable agriculture to prosper and grow and we will be looking to the private sector to drive and sustain that growth,” says Kofi Annan, who is Chair of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). He added, “Working together we can achieve a food secure and prosperous Africa.”

The African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) promotes investments and policy initiatives that will drive income growth for African farmers in an environmentally sustainable way. The AGRF will also show progress in unlocking Africa’s agricultural potential and facilitating sustainable economic growth thanks to new investment and public-private partnerships.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi