African Ministers Call For Enhanced Food Value Chain Through AfCFTA

African ministers have called for enhancing sustainable regional value chains for food security through the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The ministers made the call in a communiqué issued at the Egypt – International Cooperation Forum (EGYPT-ICF) and Meeting of African Ministers of Finance, Economy and Environment, which was held recently in Cairo, Egypt.

The ministers called for the enhancement of synergies to unlock green and blue industrial development for the private sector through the development of integrated sustainable value chains in AfCFTA.

They encouraged countries to engage in efficient food management and storage projects in agriculture to improve food supply chains, limit price increases, and support agricultural resilience.

“In this regard, we urge the strengthening of the efficacy of free trade agreements, especially AfCTA, to increase the resilience of African countries against food supply shocks,” they said.

“Strengthening cost-effective investments and implementation at scale around food security and agriculture, for both adaptation and mitigation is imperative.”

These include early action and protection of the most vulnerable through safety nets, insurances, social protection, resilient infrastructure, nature-based solutions including land rehabilitation, climate-smart agriculture, healthy and sustainable diets and access to markets through the AfCFTA.

Also, there should be a political and development priority across multiple sectors, as it was not only related to agriculture.

The ministers called for the enhancement of synergies to unlock green and blue industrial development for the private sector through the development of integrated sustainable value chains in AfCFTA.

The ministers further called for reducing the cost of green borrowing and the enabling role of International Financing Institutions and Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs).

The ministers invited the UN System, the African Union Commission, the AfDB and partners to strengthen the capacity of African countries.