The hosting of the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) will give the country the opportunity to commemorate the life of former UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan, President of the country, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has stated.

Speaking ahead of the forum scheduled for September 3-6, 2019, he said the idea of the forum was inspired by Kofi Annan and hosting it, therefore, presented a perfect opportunity for the country to celebrate him.

“He provided the inspiration for this idea and it is a good occasion for the country to acknowledge that and thereby celebrate him,” he said.

He said the hosting of the forum was also necessary because the country had taken some very important decisions about reforming the agriculture sector and, therefore, believed the conference would present an opportunity to highlight the importance of agriculture modernisation.

“We believe this will also inspire our people to accept the necessity of the reforms we have made,” he stated.

Celebrating Kofi Annan 

The Minister of Information and the New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament for Ofoase- Ayirebi, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, said Kofi Annan was a representation of what the Ghanaian or African could become on the global stage.

“To occupy those commanding heights not in name but to use it as an opportunity to stimulate or impact the world positively,” he said.

The forum, he noted, was one of his babies and one of the best testimonies that could be given for his work and the country had a responsibility to make sure it succeeded and made an impact across the continent.

Govt promoting agriculture 

Mr Oppong Nkrumah noted that Ghana had always been a trailblazer when it came to doing things for Africa and added that right now in Ghana, the government was embarking on one of the most ambitious investment drives in agriculture.

“We have the planting for food and jobs, planting for exports and rural development, rearing for food and jobs and they are already translating into jobs, incomes and growth for our people.

“The government of Ghana is putting in a lot of money, resource and time into stimulating agricultural growth and so we are supporting farmers and developing the value chain,” he said.

He added that already, the numbers were beginning to show as growth was going up, jobs were up and incomes were up within the agriculture sector value chain.

The Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, said the first AGRF was held in Ghana and the first Chairman was the late Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the UN.

“This is a real bitter sweet moment as we look to celebrate this living legend. Kofi Annan as we all know is one of the heroes of our generation. I personally had numerous encounters with him and he encouraged me to continue with the pursuit of turning our economy around,” he said.

The forum

It is on the theme: “Grow Digital: Leveraging Digital Transformation for Sustainable Food Systems in Africa”.

The African Green Revolution Forum is the world’s largest platform for investments and policy decisions when it comes to agriculture, Africa is coming back to Africa, specifically to Ghana.

It is expected to convene about eight heads of state, over 30 ministers across finance, agriculture and trade as well as business people involved in the day-to-day operations in agriculture.

Source: Daily Graphic