Tanzania poised to be food powerhouse
Iowa, USA: PRESIDENT Samia Suluhu Hassan has affirmed Tanzania’s steady progress toward becoming a food basket for East and Southern Africa, highlighting lessons drawn from the Feed Africa Dakar 2 Summit as instrumental in advancing the nation’s agricultural strategy.
Speaking at the Africa Agriculture Dialogue during the World Food Prize event in Iowa, President Samia shared the transformative goals inspired by her experience at Dakar. “We are not there yet, but I assure you, we are on track,” she said, adding the strides Tanzania has made in response to Dakar’s recommendations.
“I left Dakar with an energy of implementing three major themes one is to make Tanzania food self-sufficiency, two, it was food storage to reduce post-harvest losses and three was to make Tanzania food basket for the region,” she said.
And on the institutions to be established, she said first and foremost, during Dakar summit, they were required to establish the Presidential Advisory Agricultural Council.
“Yes, and I have done exactly so. And we have it. And it’s doing a good job of giving advice to the government on how to implement the Tanzania impact on food delivery and food security,” President Samia said.
President Samia said with these steps, Tanzania is building its capacity as a dependable food basket for East Africa, with the potential to support other regions, including Southern Africa.
Feed Africa Dakar 2 Summit held last year recognised that despite its huge agricultural potential, Africa suffers from high food insecurity, with one third of the 828 million hungry people in the world being on the continent.
The leader attending the meeting reached a significant agreement to accelerate agricultural transformation and achieve food security.
Key commitments include finalising Country Food and Agriculture Delivery Compacts in collaboration with stakeholders, establishing Presidential Delivery Councils to oversee implementation, and mobilising both domestic and international financing.
To ensure successful implementation, the leaders pledged to support the Compacts with timebound targets and measurable indicators. This will involve creating enabling environments through policies, incentives and regulations that attract wider investments in the agriculture sector.
The summit’s outcome signifies a renewed commitment to the Malabo Declaration and a collective effort to harness Africa’s agricultural potential. By prioritising food security and self-sufficiency, African nations aim to build resilient food systems and improve the livelihoods of millions of people.
President left for Des Moines, Iowa, USA on Tuesday, to participate in the Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue organized by the World Food Prize Foundation.
The Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue is an annual event that brings together leaders, experts, dignitaries, and policymakers, particularly in agriculture, nutrition, and resource management.
The discussions aim to address global food security challenges, particularly those exacerbated by climate change.
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President Samia is among four African Heads of State honoured to contribute to this year’s dialogue, themed “Seeds of Opportunity: Bridging Generations and Cultivating Diplomacy.” Other participating leaders hail from Sierra Leone, Madagascar and Nigeria.
In addition to the dialogue, President Samia will attend the 2024 World Food Prize award ceremony, recognizing significant contributions to the agricultural sector, in memory of the late Dr Norman E. Borlaug, a global advocate for food security.
Alongside her participation in these discussions, President Samia will engage in roundtable discussions with US government and private sector leaders, particularly in agriculture, to discuss investment opportunities and enhancing value chains in agriculture—an essential sector for economic growth and poverty reduction in Tanzania.
