2015 ‘Agrique Africa Investment Summit’ launched
Agricultural non-governmental organisation Welcome2Africa has launched its maiden annual agricultural investment summit in Accra, on the theme ‘Matchmaking agriculture trade and investment opportunities in Africa’.
The two-day summit is aimed at presenting investment and business opportunities within Africa’s agricultural and food processing sectors to investors across the globe, and it will bring together over 300 players in the industry to discuss ways to transforming the agricultural sector.
The summit will offer the platform for businesses involved in agricultural products or services to network with key sector actors such as agribusinesses, farmer associations, and agricultural leaders from across Africa.
It will also include a two-day exhibition that will be open to trade exhibitors including agricultural products and services providers, manufacturers and distributors, and financial services providers, among others.
Addressing the media, Bamidele Seun Owoola, Chief Executive Officer Welcome2Africa, indicated how passionate the organisation has been in combatting poverty and unemployment in Africa.
“We have decided to focus on agriculture mainly because of the impact it can have on Africa. Africa has great potential, and in order for us to unearth these we have to embrace agriculture to reduce poverty and create more jobs for the people,” she said.
She further urged the youth to explore opportunities in the agricultural sector, and take advantage of the Welcome2Africa event to gather knowledge from successful and experienced ‘agri-preneurs’ who will be present at the programme.
According to the World Bank, agricultural businesses in Africa are developing at a fast rate and sub-Saharan Africa’s economy is projected to develop into a US$1trillion industry by 2030, compared to US$313billion as at 2010.
To make the Agricultural system work more efficiently, experts estimate that sub-Saharan Africa alone requires additional annual investment of as much as US$50billion, which explains why it has become essential to advocate for more investments into the agricultural sector.
Delegates from the UK, Belgium, Washington, Germany, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Niger and some other neighbouring countries are expected to attend the programme.
thebftonline.com