$1.1m Prize Money: AfDB Boss Lifts 10 Young African Farmers

BY EDMOND ODOK – It is good news for 10 young African agric entrepreneurs who are set to access 1.1 million dollars as training and support facility to boost food production in the continent.

The package is a project initiative of the African Development Bank (AfDB)’s President, Mr Akinwunmi Adesina to fight hunger and poverty in Africa.

In a statement by AfDB, Adesina stressed the need to end hunger and malnutrition in Africa, noting out that such moves would help achieve lasting peace in the world.

Speaking at the launch of fellowship for young African agribusiness innovators by World Food Prize and World Hunger Fighters Foundation in Des Moines, U.S.A, Adesina said; “together, let’s end hunger in Africa. Together, let’s end hunger in our world.

“When I won the World Food Prize in 2017 and the Sunhak Peace Prize in 2019, I pledged the prize monies and a few matching donations totalling 1.1 million dollars to the creation of the World Hunger Fighters Foundation (WHFF).

“This young crop of hunger fighters and agric entrepreneurs will pick up the baton and in turn, do great things across the world”.

The AfDB chief disclosed that 10 outstanding African youths out of 1,300 applications were selected for the 2019 Borlaug-Adesina Fellowship.

They are Lourena Maxwell (Mozambique), John Agboola (Nigeria), Adonai Anna (Benin) and Olufemi Adesina (Nigeria).

Others are Ifeoluwa Olatayo (Nigeria), Victor Mugo (Kenya), Emmanuel Maduka (Nigeria), Marianne Enow-Tabi (Cameroon), Solomon Nimako (Ghana), and Nicholas Alifa (Nigeria).

Responding of behalf the beneficiaries, 30-year-old Ifeoluwa Olatayo said she is seeking to impact more than 200,000 smallholder farmers across Africa in three years.

Olatayo said; “My rooftop farms are based in Ibadan, Oyo State in Nigeria. We use a vertical model to plant lettuce and cucumber.

“Since we were close to consumers, we were able to sell to them with fast and easy access to nutritious foods while lessening the impact of transportation on the whole agricultural value chain.”

At present, the World Food Prize Foundation (WFPF) and the newly launched World Hunger Fighters Foundation (WHFF) are partnering to provide year-long fellowships for young African food innovators and entrepreneurs.

WHFF awards annual Borlaug-Adesina Fellowships to young Africans to develop new technologies, champion public policy, and develop viable businesses in the field of agriculture.

These young leaders are expected to gain experience in international agriculture research centres, including food and agribusiness companies.

Recalled that late Nobel peace prize laureate, Dr Norman Borlaug, whose work helped feed one billion people, used his award to set up the WFPF.

It annually awards the prestigious World Food Prize, known as the Nobel prize for food and agriculture.

In his intervention, President, Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, who was a Guest Speaker at the Foundation launch in Des Moines, Iowa, agreed that agriculture can be deployed to restore peace in conflict areas.

“Agriculture can be the source of peace in Africa. It can create jobs and act as a stabilising factor in countries witnessing conflict.

“Agriculture is helping to disarm former combatants in my country, for instance,” he said.

Also offering his thoughts at the event, Nigeria’s former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, described the hunger fighters’ initiative as critical to food security in Africa.

According to him; “The problem of youth unemployment, criminality, and many other related problems will be solved substantially if we take agribusiness, food security, and social security altogether.” – With agency reports