Cracking the Nut Africa: Lessons from the Africa Regional Conference

Cracking the Nut Africa: Improving Rural Livelihoods and Food Security

Lessons from the Africa Regional Conference
An initiative of the Global Communities’ Integrated Improved Livelihoods Program, commonly known as Ejo Heza, (funded by USAID and Feed the Future), this was the first Cracking the Nut conference to take place in Africa. Held in Kigali, Rwanda, the three-day learning event was the first time we incorporated field visits into the agenda, which provided live examples of conference themes. The conference was the largest Cracking the Nut event to date, convening over 400 participants from 40 countries including a diverse set of representatives from top food companies, financial institutions, investors, governments, donors and international development organizations.
The conference served as an opportunity for Africans to voice their specific issues and perspectives, while integrating local and international expertise. Africa is currently the second fastest growing region in the world in terms of population and boasts 16 of the 29 economies projected to grow the fastest from 2012-2014. The continent has made great strides in economic development and poverty reduction. As we saw at the conference, however, increased investment in value chains, transfer of technology and creative partnerships between the private and public sector are necessary to sustain the wave of progress.
Read the Lessons from the Africa Regional Conference here.