Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and African Union launch new publications to strengthen agribusiness in Africa

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In a move to advance agricultural entrepreneurship and agribusiness development across Africa, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the African Union (AU) have unveiled two new publications on agribusiness incubators and public-private partnerships.

The first publication, Agribusiness Incubation and Acceleration Landscape in Africa is an in-depth analysis and mapping of over 430 enterprise support organizations across the continent, aiming to fill the gap in publicly available information on agribusiness incubation and acceleration programmes and their impacts. The publication is based on a study commissioned by FAO and the AU. It reveals that while significant growth in agribusiness incubation in Africa has been noted since 2010, the ecosystem remains underdeveloped, particularly in West and Central Africa. Recommendations include improving policies, establishing incubation support programmes, and promoting knowledge sharing to enhance the agribusiness incubation landscape.

“Given that agribusiness incubation and acceleration is still a relatively recent development in Africa, there is very limited knowledge among policy makers and practitioners alike,” AU Commissioner Josefa Sacko and FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa Abebe Haile-Gabriel said in the report’s joint foreword.  “The findings and recommendations presented in this report aim at providing practical guidance to policy makers, practitioners and development partners seeking to maximize the impact of publicly funded agribusiness incubation programmes.”

Public-private partnerships for agricultural transformation

The second publication, Guide for the Design and Implementation of Public-Private Partnerships for Agribusiness Development in Africa, aims to support African countries in crafting sustainable and inclusive public-private partnerships (PPPs) for agribusiness development. It draws on lessons learned from across Africa.

“This guide is intended to be a practical tool for policymakers interested in promoting agri-PPPs as part of their overall agricultural transformation strategies,” Josefa Sacko and Abebe Haile-Gabriel said in their joint foreword to the report.

The launch of these guides marks a critical step forward in harnessing the potential of agribusiness to drive economic growth and food security across Africa.

These two publications are contributing to the implementation of the African Union Agribusiness Youth Strategy, while at FAO the work is guided by the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-2031 which aims to support countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly ending poverty and hunger and reducing inequalities, through the four betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life, leaving no one behind.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of FAO Regional Office for Africa.