Justice For African Children Press Release

Many well-known African activists and leaders spoke at the launch of the Justice for Africa's Children report, held virtually on 25 January, including 2011 Liberian Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee, philanthropist Dr Mo Ibrahim, WHO DG Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Inter-Parliamentary Union's SG Martin Chungong, and All Africa Students' Union SG, Peter Kwasie Kodjie, alongside former Prime Minister of Sweden, Stefan Lfven, and 2014 Nobel Peace Laureate Mr Kailash Satyarthi.

According to the report, which was created by Laureates and Leaders for Children and the 100 Million campaign, sub-Saharan African countries have lost more than $4 trillion as a result of global and national injustices in the first six years of the Sustainable Development Goals. These injustices have affected economic growth, taxation, debt, the environment, international agreements, aid, conflict, and governance. It also finds that the vast majority$3.8 trillion - was lost due to international injustices beyond the control of African governments - 95% of the $4 trillion total. Yet it is the human cost to Africa which is staggering. The number of African child labourers, children out of school, and children suffering from malnutrition have all risen in at least the last six years. Still, worst of all, these injustices are costing eleven children under the age of 5 their lives every two minutes from preventable causes.

Opening the event, the founder of Laureates and Leaders for Children, Mr Kailash Satyarthi, said, “Today when we are launching this report, Justice for Africa's Children, we are challenging the age-old mindset of racial discrimination."

Dr Mo Ibrahim stated, "Until we deal with this issue of poverty in Africa, we will always have problems and end up asking for charity. I don't like asking for charity, we are a rich continent."

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "Africa's 650 million children are a generation with great potential, but as the report shows, far too many of them are being held back by grave social injustices... Investing in our children is an investment in our future, and in the Africa we all want to see. A healthier, safer, fairer Africa.”

The good news is that there is a powerful and proven solution, direct social protection for children. Organisations have seen through the examples of Bolsa Familia in Brazil, mid-day meals in India, and cash transfers in Ghana and Uganda. Universal social protection systems, such as pension programmes in Kenya and Tanzania and social protection floors, can support and strengthen families. Emergency social protection measures to help the poorest families during the COVID-19 pandemic worked where they were put in place. With all this in mind, there is hope, and after much discussion, this report is the blueprint we should all use to ensure justice for the children of Africa.

The report is available at laureatesandleaders.org

The Agriculture Economy in Africa is the fastest growing compared to other continents.

Between the years 2000 to 2020, the Agric economy in Africa recorded 4.1 per cent growth, while other continents in the world recorded only a 2.7 per cent growth.

The story of the Agriculture sector of the East African region is not different as the agric sector of the region combined with its food sector accounts for 15 per cent of all East African country's Gross Domestic Products, and GDP

Though the countries in this region are faced with chains of challenges that pose threat to regional development, the region has remained resilient and is endowed with rich creativity and innovation, including solutions to address food insecurity and job creation.

In 2019 about 59% of the region's population was employed in agriculture, with some countries such as Burundi and Somalia touching 86% and 80% respectively

The Horn of Africa has the potential to promote business and create more prosperous livelihoods for its People through the Agri-food sector

Let's take a look at some of the potentials of the Agri-food sector in the East African region that will not only end hunger but also bring economic growth to countries in the region.

Opportunity to Become Self Sufficient

Africa's population is expected to double by 2050, what this is supposed to mean for this region is to brace up its agric sector and be ready for this growth.

It must move up its value chain in agriculture to become more self- sufficient in food production.

Doing this would cause a boom in its GDP and result in economic growth for the region.

Better Agricultural Input

In Eastern Africa, there is an opportunity for agricultural productivity to increase by two to three times If better agricultural inputs and production techniques are adopted.

The use of water and soil resources should be efficient and natural capital and ecosystems should be restored too.

East Africa to invest in Climate Action

The earlier the region understands and accepts that the climate-induced shocks to food systems that occurs once every 12 years in Africa are now approximately happening every two and a half year, the better for it.

Adapting Africa's food system to climate change is not optional but imperative.

The East African Region has to embrace this truth and find ways of working around it.

Yes, it is too frequent for countries, regions, or farms to recover adequately between shocks that make food security decline by five to twenty per cent with each occurrence of drought or flood but better planning would help to get positive results.

The Horn of Africa is set to miss its 5th consecutive rainy season, making it its worst drought in 40 years, and South Sudan faces record-breaking rain and floods for the fourth year in a row as the climate crisis intensifies.

Climate-smart agriculture is known for its triple benefits of higher productivity, climate adaptation, and emissions reduction were high on the world's agenda at COP27.

Presently, the amount for making food systems resilient right now is 1.8 billion dollars per year Therefore, if East Africa refuses to invest in climate action as soon as possible, the region might end up paying over 200 billion dollars per year as the cost of inaction is high.

Putting the Right Policies in Place

The East Africa region should do well to work on the right policies since food security in Africa is compounded mostly by the effects of climate change, declining agricultural productivity and speedy population and urbanization growth, prioritising policies like leveraging science and digital technology, and addressing fragility would lead the way of the East African region to get a better economic result.

Also, since food security across Africa is compounded most by the effects of climate change, declining agricultural productivity, and rapid population and urbanization growth, policy priorities centred around leveraging science and digital technology, and addressing fragility hold the greatest promise across the African continent.

Though there is a call for the right policies to be put in place, there are several east African countries whose Agri-food policies have yielded good results.

Some of these countries are; Kenya, Zambia, and Tanzania amongst others.

Tanzania

In this East African country, medium- scale farmers have been able to create estimated 13 million additional work annually, for hired agricultural labour between 2004 and 2014. This was done amidst challenges.

This growth boosted the income of many Tanzanians, especially the youth.

This goes to show that policies drive innovation and lead to better food and nutrition for all. These country initiatives prove that despite the challenges of climate change and state fragility in parts of Africa, the continent has the potential to not only achieve food and nutrition security but to also leverage the food sector for its overall development.

Zambia

With the help of the Zambian Growth Opportunities, ZAMGRO Program, a three hundred million dollar effort funded by the World Bank, Zambia is putting policy reforms and institutional enhancements at the centre stage of agricultural growth.

The country has the potential to become a significant exporter of food for both the Eastern and Southern African regions, given its large land and water resource base for agricultural production and its strategic location bordering eight countries.

The government of Zambia is committed to developing the potential of the agri-food sector to meet its national development goals of promoting inclusive growth and creating jobs.

It is also reaffirming its commitment to food exports and the improvements in grain marketing arrangements.

Zambia is also accelerating diversification, climate resilience, and inclusive agricultural growth.

The country is elevating from helping agricultural subsidies to redirecting its public expenditures to subsectors such as irrigation and agricultural extension.

Kenya

The One Million Farmer Platform Initiative in Kenya is enough attestation that East Africa is on the verge of getting it right in terms of innovations for food production.

The initiative, supported by the World Bank, illustrates how agricultural practices and outcomes can be transformed by leveraging digital technologies and publicprivate partnerships. Farmers in Kenya are benefiting from these technologies.

The Agri-food sector in the Horn of Africa has enough potential to create wealth and opportunities for the region.

In all, support and investments are needed for the agri-food region to become the best in the continent.

To achieve this, leaders in the region also need to pay attention to their agri-food sector to harness the untapped potential in the sector.