Cape Town event to focus on implications for Africa in International Fund for Agricultural Development's (IFAD) Rural Poverty Report
High-level government leaders, including the agricultural ministers Tina Joemat-Pettersson of South Africa, Jumanne Abdallah Maghembe of the United Republic of Tanzania and Agnes Matilda Kalibata of the Republic of Rwanda, will gather in Cape Town on 3 May to explore the potential of African agriculture to advance economic growth on the continent and food security for the world. Sponsored by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), the discussion event, entitled New challenges, new opportunities: African agriculture in the 21stcentury, will centre on IFAD’s Rural Poverty Report 2011, which argues that smallholder agriculture can lift millions out of poverty, but only if it is market-oriented, profitable and environmentally sustainable – and that national policies and investment approaches must fully recognise that farming of any scale is, first and foremost, a business.
Date: Tuesday, 3 May 2011
Venue: The Southern Sun Cape Sun, Strand Street, Cape Town, South Africa
RSVP: Ndumi Nqunqa on Nondumiso.Nqunqa@wits.ac.za
Tel: 011 339 2021
Scheduled to take place on the eve of the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town, the event is expected to draw key leaders from the region’s government, business, media, non-profit and academic sectors. The discussions will focus on rural poverty in sub-Saharan Africa and on the development solutions that will enable poor rural people to harness new opportunities to generate economic growth and to help enhance food security not only in African countries but worldwide.
09h30 – Welcome
Martha Bridgman, Chair of the Western Cape Branch, South African Institute for International Affairs.
09h35 – Keynote remarks
- Tina Joemat-Pettersson, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of the Republic of South Africa
- Jumanne Abdallah Maghembe, Minister for Agriculture, Food Security and Co-operatives of the United Republic of Tanzania
- Kanayo F. Nwanze, President, International Fund for Agricultural Development
10h30 – Eradicating rural Poverty in Africa:Emerging opportunities for growth
- Edward Heinemann,Team Leader, Rural Poverty Report, IFAD
11h00 – Making rural development happen: A new start for rural African communities
Panel discussion moderated by Komla Dumor, Presenter, BBC Africa Business Report and featuring:
- Agnes Matilda Kalibata, Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources of the Republic of Rwanda
- Pascal-Firmin Ndimira, Special Advisor to the President of the Republic of Togo
- Irahim Mayaki, CEO of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)
- Akin Adesina, Vice President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
- Kavita Prakash-Mani, Global Head of Food Security Agenda, Syngenta International
- Mohamed Beavogui, Director West and Central Africa, IFAD
14h00 – Press briefing
- Kanayo F. Nwanze, President, IFAD
- Tina Joemat-Petterson, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, South Africa
The following IFAD officials will be available for interviews on 3 May:
- Kanayo F. Nwanze, President
- Mohamed Béavogui, Director, West and Central Africa Division
- Ides de Willebois, Director, East and South Africa Division
- Ed Heinemann, Team Leader, Rural Poverty Report
Journalists are requested to accredit. Please fill in the form below and e-mail to ifadnewsroom@ifad.org.
For further information, please contact
Chevon Erasmus Porter
SAIIA Communications Manager
Tel: 082 820 8036
E-mail: chevon.erasmusporter@wits.ac.za
Jessica Thomas
IFAD Media Relations and External Communications Unit
Tel: 039 06 5459 2215
E-mail: j.thomas@ifad.org
Social media
IFAD encourages participants and journalists to use social media channels and report live from the event. Join IFAD News on Twitter and on our Facebook page.
When tweeting, please use the following hastags:
- #agriculture, #agchat, #ifad
- #rpr2011 for Rural Poverty Report 2011
- When quoting IFAD President, use @knwanze
- When quoting other IFAD officials, use #ifad and the person’s last name
For queries on IFAD’s social media channels, please contact:
Roxanna Samii, Manager, Web, Knowledge and Internal Communications
E-mail: r.samii@ifad.org
Tel: +39 065 459 2375
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E-mail: j.heer@ifad.org
Tel: +39 065 459 2550
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