President Kagame and other leaders of the AFSLD gathered at the Convention Center in Kigali on August 5-6, 2019 to rally collective efforts to deal with hunger and vulnerability to climate change in Africa. Hosted by the Government of Rwanda, the meeting was organized by core partners that included the African Union Commission (AUC), the World Bank, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and African Development Bank Group (AfDB). The AFSLD process was started to help galvanize actions and financing to address Africa’s food security challenges.
More than 34 African countries and 42 organizations were represented at the event in Kigali. The Government of Rwanda hosted the event and participated at the highest levels, including a keynote speech by President Kagame, multiple interventions by Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente, and full participation by Minister of Agriculture, Gerardine Mukeshimina. The World Bank was represented by Hafez Ghanem, Vice President for the Africa Region, and Laura Tuck, Vice President for Sustainable Development.
The event included high-level, interactive presentations including a panel on science and the potential uses of science to fight food insecurity that included two Nobel prize laureates and a session that included representatives of all CGIAR centers.
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