Kigali, 8th September 2020

“Fertilizer application in most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa is still very low, therefore, it is imperative for African countries to increase fertilizer application in order to achieve a sustained agricultural growth.”

Prime Minister Dr Edouard Ngirente made this statement on Tuesday, at the Kigali Convention Centre, while officially opening the 10th Edition of the African Green Revolution Summit (AGRF) that was themed "Feed the Cities, Grow the Continent."

Prime Minister pointed out that the average fertilizer application in Sub-Saharan Africa is at 16.6kg/ha which is far away behind the World average of 144.5kg/ha or the average in Southern Asia which is at 135kg/ha.

The Premier stated that to cope with the fast-growing urban food demand on the African Continent, Africa needs not only to increase agricultural production but also to address infrastructural and food safety challenges.

 He said that boosting transport system by building rural feeder roads should be streamlined to facilitate urban-rural linkage.

“It is now imperative that we increase investments to improve and expand post harvest handling facilities and technologies. This will reduce losses along all production and supply chains.” Prime Minister Ngirente noted.

Prime Minister added that the Intra-Africa food trade is also still low compared to other regions and that African countries need to increase the value of trade in agriculture by creating a conducive environment for cross-border trade.

He also urged African countries to increase investments to improve and expand post-harvest handling facilities and technologies since the food loss in Sub-Saharan Africa is estimated at 100 million metric tonnes per year.

Dr Ngirente further called on African Governments to keep on de-risking the agriculture sector, by leveraging digital tools tailored for agriculture transformation, to attract young people who do not consider it as a profitable opportunity.

This tenth Annual Summit of the African Green Revolution Forum that is being held virtually from 7-11 September 2020, brings together over thousands of delegates from governments, the civil society, the private sector, research community and development partners.

To view pictures of the event, click here

To read more on the Prime Minister’s Speech, click here