In a move to advance agricultural entrepreneurship and agribusiness development across Africa, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the African Union (AU) have unveiled two new publications on agribusiness incubators and public-private partnerships. 

The first publication, Agribusiness Incubation and Acceleration Landscape in Africa is an in-depth analysis and mapping of over 430 enterprise support organizations across the continent, aiming to fill the gap in publicly available information on agribusiness incubation and acceleration programmes and their impacts. The publication is based on a study commissioned by FAO and the AU. It reveals that while significant growth in agribusiness incubation in Africa has been noted since 2010, the ecosystem remains underdeveloped, particularly in West and Central Africa. Recommendations include improving policies, establishing incubation support programmes, and promoting knowledge sharing to enhance the agribusiness incubation landscape.

“Given that agribusiness incubation and acceleration is still a relatively recent development in Africa, there is very limited knowledge among policy makers and practitioners alike,” AU Commissioner Josefa Sacko and FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa Abebe Haile-Gabriel said in the report’s joint foreword.  “The findings and recommendations presented in this report aim at providing practical guidance to policy makers, practitioners and development partners seeking to maximize the impact of publicly funded agribusiness incubation programmes.”

Public-private partnerships for agricultural transformation

The second publication, Guide for the Design and Implementation of Public-Private Partnerships for Agribusiness Development in Africa, aims to support African countries in crafting sustainable and inclusive public-private partnerships (PPPs) for agribusiness development. It draws on lessons learned from across Africa.

“This guide is intended to be a practical tool for policymakers interested in promoting agri-PPPs as part of their overall agricultural transformation strategies,” Josefa Sacko and Abebe Haile-Gabriel said in their joint foreword to the report.

The launch of these guides marks a critical step forward in harnessing the potential of agribusiness to drive economic growth and food security across Africa. 

These two publications are contributing to the implementation of the African Union Agribusiness Youth Strategy, while at FAO the work is guided by the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-2031 which aims to support countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly ending poverty and hunger and reducing inequalities, through the four betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of FAO Regional Office for Africa.

On Wednesday, April 24, for about 50 minutes from 4:30 p.m., Minister for Foreign Affairs Ms. KAMIKAWA Yoko received a courtesy call from the Diplomatic Missions of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to Japan.

At the outset, Minister Kamikawa paid tribute to the ECOWAS diplomatic missions for its ongoing efforts to strengthen relations with Japan, and introduced Japan’s initiatives for peace and stability in the Sahel region and the coastal countries of the Gulf of Guinea, while also explaining her lifework such as the efforts based on the perspective of Women, Peace, and Security (WPS)　and reinforcement of cooperation based on the humanitarian-development-peace nexus. Minister Kamikawa also mentioned that Japan has been supporting Africa’s development through TICAD for more than 30 years, and that the TICAD Ministerial Meeting in August this year will be held to support Africa’s internal transformation, including the Agenda 2063, and to strengthen cooperation with the African countries to reinforce global governance, including the rule of law, in preparation for TICAD 9 next year.
H.E. Mr. Blamoh NELSON, Ambassador of the Republic of Liberia to Japan and Dean of the ECOWAS Diplomatic Missions to Japan, expressed his appreciation and gratitude for the role Japan is playing in the development of the West Africa and his expectation to develop relations between Japan and ECOWAS countries from various perspectives, including increasing Japanese investment and cooperation for human resource development.　Other ambassadors also expressed their desire to strengthen bilateral relations as well as economic ties between the West African region and Japan.
In closing, Minister Kamikawa stated that, in light of the useful comments and expectations received from the ambassadors today, Japan will continue to emphasize dialogue with each country and work closely with ECOWAS countries, both bilaterally and internationally, including at TICAD, in cooperation with the business community.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.

An estimated 51.2 million lives have been saved through vaccines in the African region over the past 50 years. For every infant life saved over that period, close to 60 years of life are lived, a new report by World Health Organization (WHO) finds.

These achievements have been possible under the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), a WHO initiative launched in 1974 as a global endeavour to ensure equitable access to life-saving vaccines for every child, regardless of their geographic location or socioeconomic status.

The report, which assesses the life-saving impact of vaccines, was released today at the start of this year’s African Vaccination Week and World Immunization Week being marked from 24–30 April under the theme “Safeguarding Our Future: Humanly Possible”.

With the continuous support from WHO, UNICEF and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and many others, today most countries in the region provide antigens for 13 vaccine-preventable diseases, up from the initial six when the EPI was introduced. 

Notable achievements have been made, including reduction in measles deaths, with an estimated 19.5 million deaths averted over the last 22 years. The region has also witnessed a sharp decline in meningitis deaths by up to 39% in 2019 compared with 2000. Maternal and neonatal tetanus has nearly been eliminated in the region, and in a historic public health achievement, the African region was declared free of indigenous wild poliovirus in 2022 following years of relentless work to protect every child from the virus.

“From disease prevention to eradication the success story of vaccines is a compelling one. Millions of people are alive and healthy today thanks to the protection vaccines offer,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “We have half a century of momentum and have accomplished so much. Now we must sustain and expand vaccine equity to end the threat of vaccine-preventable diseases.”

The rollout of new vaccines such as the first ever malaria vaccine, and expansion of existing vaccines, such as for HPV, which protects against the leading cause of cervical cancer, has also set up future generations in Africa with an opportunity to thrive.

“Today we celebrate the monumental advances governments and partners have taken across Africa in the last fifty years to ensure so many more children on the continent are living past their fifth birthday thanks to vaccination,” said UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Etleva Khadilli. “Leaders, partners and donors must strive to protect immunization gains in the region especially in the face of backsliding rates in recent years.”

“Children that are not, or not enough, vaccinated often come from communities missed across the spectrum of social services. We must focus our efforts on finding them and ensuring they receive the life-saving vaccines and other services they need. Together, with leaders and communities, we can make this a reality,” said Gilles Fagninou, the UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa.

Through Gavi, an alliance of immunization partners including WHO and UNICEF established in 2000 to expand the impact of the EPI, countries are supported to deliver vaccines against vaccine-preventable diseases including others such as cervical cancer and malaria, and to respond to outbreaks of diseases such as Ebola and cholera.

“The evidence is clear: vaccines are one of the most impactful and cost-effective investments in health and development in history. Over the past two decades, Gavi has worked with 40 African countries to expand immunisation coverage while delivering new innovations like the HPV and malaria vaccines and responding to deadly outbreaks – saving millions of lives and generating billions in economic benefits,” said Thabani Maphosa, Managing Director of Country Programmes Delivery at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “With climate change, crises and the threat of infectious disease on the rise it is more important than ever that governments invest in immunisation to help ensure everyone, everywhere has an equal opportunity for a safe and healthy future.” 

While progress in vaccine coverage has been made, the region still faces challenges in achieving and sustaining high immunization coverage rates for most of the vaccine-preventable diseases. There are also challenges in ensuring equitable vaccine access across the continent with a significant number of children yet to receive a single dose of life-saving vaccines while others not receiving enough doses.

In addition, the disruptive impact of COVID-19 further strained immunization efforts. The region is yet to fully recover from the pandemic’s disruptions to immunization.

In 2022, coverage for the first and third doses of the diphtheria–tetanus–pertussis-containing vaccine (DTP1 and DTP3, respectively) and the first dose of the measles-containing vaccine (MCV1) in the region was estimated at 80%, 72% and 69%, respectively (all below the 2019 level). Only 13 of the 47 countries in the region achieved the global target coverage of 90% or above with DTP3 in 2022.

Efforts to address gaps in immunization coverage have been intensified through the “Big Catch-Up” initiative that aims to reach children who have been underserved or missed by routine vaccination programmes. Innovative initiatives such as the Zero-dose Immunization Programme have also been established to reach communities that are living in conflict and fragile areas with essential health services.

Further efforts are needed to accelerate progress to meet the goals of Immunization Agenda 2030, a strategy endorsed during the WHO World Health Assembly in 2020, which seeks to reduce mortality and morbidity from vaccine-preventable diseases, ensure equitable access to vaccines and strengthen immunization within primary health care. A regional framework to implement the Immunization Agenda has been adopted.

To sustain progress key strategies need to be implemented. These include controlling protracted and frequent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases; increasing investment in health systems and infrastructure for effective vaccine delivery; enhancing surveillance systems to respond swiftly to outbreaks; addressing vaccine hesitancy and misinformation; bolstering domestic funding for immunization programmes; increasing the use of innovation and technology for better vaccine delivery; and investing in research and development for vaccine development.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of WHO Regional Office for Africa.

According to the latest Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC), nearly 282 million people in 59 countries and territories experienced high levels of acute hunger in 2023 – a worldwide increase of 24 million from the previous year. This rise was due to the report’s increased coverage of food crisis contexts as well as a sharp deterioration in food security, especially in the Gaza Strip and the Sudan.

For four consecutive years, the proportion of people facing acute food insecurity has remained persistently high at almost 22 percent of those assessed, significantly exceeding pre-COVID-19 levels.

Children and women are at the forefront of these hunger crises, with over 36 million children under 5 years of age acutely malnourished across 32 countries, the report shows. Acute malnutrition worsened in 2023, particularly among people displaced because of conflict and disasters.

The Global Network Against Food Crises urgently calls for a transformative approach that integrates peace, prevention and development action alongside at-scale emergency efforts to break the cycle of acute hunger which remains at unacceptably high levels.

“This crisis demands an urgent response. Using the data in this report to transform food systems and address the underlying causes of food insecurity and malnutrition will be vital,” said António Guterres, UN Secretary-General.

Protracted hunger

Thirty-six countries have been consistently featured in the GRFC analyses since 2016, reflecting continuing years of acute hunger, and currently representing 80 percent of the world’s most hungry.  

There has also been an increase of 1 million people facing Emergency (IPC/CH Phase 4) levels of acute food insecurity across 39 countries and territories, with the biggest increase in the Sudan.

In 2023, more than 705,000 people were at the Catastrophe (IPC/CH Phase 5) level of food insecurity and at risk of starvation – the highest number in the GRFC’s reporting history and up fourfold since 2016. The current situation in the Gaza Strip accounts for 80 percent of those facing imminent famine, along with South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Somalia and Mali.

According to the GRFC 2024 future outlook, around 1.1 million people in the Gaza Strip and 79 000 people in South Sudan are projected to be in Catastrophe (IPC/CH Phase 5) by July 2024, bringing the total amount of people projected in this phase to almost 1.3 million.

Key drivers of food crises

Intensifying conflict and insecurity, the impacts of economic shocks, and the effects of extreme weather events are continuing to drive acute food insecurity. These interlinked drivers are exacerbating food systems fragility, rural marginalization, poor governance, and inequality, and lead to massive displacement of populations globally. The protection situation of displaced population is additionally impacted by food insecurity.

Conflict remained the primary driver affecting 20 countries with nearly 135 million people in acute food insecurity – almost half of the global number. The Sudan faced the largest deterioration due to conflict, with 8.6 million more people facing high levels of acute food insecurity as compared with 2022.

Extreme weather events were the primary drivers in 18 countries where over 77 million people faced high levels of acute food insecurity, up from 12 countries with 57 million people in 2022. In 2023, the world experienced its hottest year on record and climate related shocks impacted populations, with episodes of severe floods, storms, droughts, wildfires, and pest and disease outbreaks.

Economic shocks primarily affected 21 countries where around 75 million people were facing high levels of acute food insecurity, due to their high dependency on imported food and agricultural inputs, persisting macroeconomic challenges, including currency depreciation, high prices and high debt levels.

Breaking the cycle of food crises

Tackling persistent food crises requires urgent long-term national and international investment to transform food systems and boost agricultural and rural development alongside greater crisis preparedness and critical lifesaving assistance at scale, where people need it most. Peace and prevention must also become an integral part of the longer-term food systems transformation. Without this, people will continue to face a lifetime of hunger and the most vulnerable will starve.

Since 2023, needs have outpaced available resources. Humanitarian operations are now desperately overstretched, with many being forced to scale-down and further cut support to the most vulnerable.  More equitable and effective global economic governance is imperative and must be matched with government led plans that seek to reduce and end hunger.

To turn the tide on rising acute food insecurity the international community has made a range of bold commitments including through the recent G7 and G20 initiatives. The Global Network Against Food Crises offers to leverage its unparalleled knowledge of hunger in the most fragile countries to strengthen the linkages and build coherence where possible between these various global initiatives to ensure innovative and concrete impact for those affected by food crises. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of World Food Programme (WFP).