In 2003, in Maputo, African states pledged to devote at least 10 percent to the agriculture sector. A promise far away. Ivory Coast, a country of agricultural tradition, reserves only 3% of its budget. While more than ever the sector is a lever of development, the think tank « Africa Grenier du Monde » intends to shake up public and private actors in order to develop the continent’s agricultural potential. Thanks to the AgriTech revolution! Explanations with Charlotte Libog, president of the Africa Grenier du Monde think tank.
Interviewed by Dounia Ben Mohamed
Introduce us your think tank, Africa Grenier du monde …
« Africa Grenier du Monde » is a platform dedicated to the promotion of agricultural entrepreneurship. Promote Agribusiness in Africa for real inclusive and sustainable growth. A real opportunity for an Africa holding more than half of the world’s arable land on the one hand and a priceless human and hydraulic potential on the other hand.
With a motto … AgriTech?
« Agriculture is the mother of all the arts: when it is well conducted, all other arts prosper; but when it is neglected, all the other arts decline, on earth as at on the sea « these words of the Greek philosopher Xenophon perfectly summarize the universal challenge that is ours today: to work for a better world thanks to Agriculture and nourish 9 billion people by 2050. At the heart of this challenge, we have Africa, the continent with the highest agricultural potential, with more than half of the world’s arable land, untapped hydro potential and population growth. unprecedented … Africa, despite this exponential potential, is struggling to solve the thorny equation of real and sustainable economic growth, that of youth employment, the empowerment of women, the rural exodus and urbanization etc. … Capital equations for a real balance at the global level. Huge challenges that could find a solution beginning with the emergence of the agricultural and agri-food sector, investment in agro-digital, a path now followed by many entrepreneurs and investors on the continent and elsewhere, a creative way to wealth for all, adopted by future billionaires in the agriculture and agri-food sector now! With the digital revolution, AgriTech is imposing itself on us by the ever-growing presence of innovative agro-digital solutions that encourage investment across the entire value chain.
You were not interested in new technologies by chance: it’s your training at the beginning before being into agriculture …
I am native to Yaoundé in Cameroon and I grew up there until the age of 18, before continuing my higher education in France, in e-business. Like many Africans, I grew up with a degrading image of the rural world. Besides, many parents, including mine, like to say to their offspring: « Attention, work well at school, otherwise you’ll end up in the fields in the village! »
Yet agriculture is now a key sector in Africa. I became aware of this reality thanks to a colleague I met during my visit to a software company. He had invested in the land, in Cameroon. I bought a piece of land in order to start producing food crops, unfortunately without success. This experience, despite all enriching, allowed me to discover the immense scarcity of the sector in terms of information and support for the entrepreneur, and this is what motivated the creation of the platform « Africa Grenier du World ».
This is the subject of the new conference cycle that you start on February 1st in Paris, the AGM Business Coffee …
These are informal RDVs with actors from the agricultural and agro-industrial sector in Africa that make it possible to inform each other, to network, and to bring, each, our contribution to the development of the sector. The cycle begins in Paris, February 8th , and will be followed by other dates on the continent.
Do not miss this excellent information and networking opportunity that will also enable you to effectively start your agricultural, agri-food or agro-digital investment … and discover the huge investment opportunities of Agri Tech in Africa!
To register: https://www.eventbrite.fr/e/billets-agm-business-cafe-paris-55151596911
