The 4th ADFNS ended in the city of Niamey, capital of Niger
under the joint partnership of the African Union Commission (AUC), NEPAD Agency
Government of Niger and partners such as United Nations International Children
Education Function (UNICEF) and World Health Organisation (WHO) amongst others.
NaijaAgroNet
gathered that the event held as part of the 2013 commemoration on October 30, under
the theme “Toward an African Renaissance: Achieving the Right to Adequate Food
and Nutrition”.
This, organizers said was in line with the 50th anniversary
celebration of the formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and the
Year of Pan-Africanism and the African Renaissance.
ADFNS, celebrated annually on the 30 of October, aims to
create a platform in which concerned stakeholders can discuss solutions and
make recommendations on food security issues in Africa.
“It is also a platform to strengthen the momentum towards
achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and to assess what happens
after the 2015 deadline,” officials confided in NaijaAgroNet.
AUC Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, H.E
Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, told NaijaAgroNet
that the African Union Commission accords special importance to this year’s ADFNS, as a prelude to 2014 the AU declared Year of
Agriculture and Food and Nutrition
Security and also marking the 10th anniversary of the Comprehensive
Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).
“Day remains an opportunity for all AU Member States,
Governments, stakeholders and partners to heighten our awareness of and
reinforce our commitment to accelerating our collective efforts towards a food
and nutrition secure, and poverty Africa,” she said.
Mrs. Tumusiime said increasing agricultural production,
productivity food and nutrition security, features highly on Africa Agenda
2063, which will be considered for adoption by AU Heads of State and Government
at their Summit in January, 2014.
For the Chief Executive Officer, NEPAD Agency, Dr. Ibrahim
Mayaki, the proven solutions for food and nutrition security challenges already
exist and needed to be replicated.
“The era of pilots projects is long gone and it is now time
to take actions. The private sector is a valuable partner in the fight against
malnutrition whereas civil society remains our most important voice of
conscience” he declared.
Remmy Nweke
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