Kigali, 9 September 2018
President Kagame today attended the African Green Revolution Presidential Summit that was held in Kigali and attended by various high ranking African leaders including the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, the Deputy President of Kenya, William Ruto, the Prime Minister of Gabon, Emmanuel Issoze-Ngondet and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Tony Blair.
In his address, President Kagame stated that Agriculture is the cornerstone of Africa’s prosperity and of African children’s health and nutrition.
“This sector is not only essential for survival, it drives everything else that we are trying to do, in terms of human and economic development. The majority of Africans still earn their livelihood directly or indirectly from the land. Agriculture, therefore, deserves the concentrated attention of Africa’s policy-makers, scientists, and entrepreneurs. Fortunately, we know what works. The knowledge, experience, and goodwill in evidence at this forum show that we have everything we need to succeed. It is up to us, working together, to drive the necessary change in our respective communities and organisations.”
Sharing his thoughts on making African agriculture much more productive, President Kagame observed that first, at the national level, Africans must cultivate the political and scientific leadership required, to create an enabling environment that would unleash the enormous potential of this sector.
“Better coordination within governments is essential, and so are much stronger links among policy-makers, scientific researchers, financial institutions, and investors.”
President Kagame stated that African leaders have to make sure that Africa’s farmers are getting the most out of the many good partnerships that have already been set up in this ecosystem.