AFRICAN GREEN REVOLUTION FORUM HONOURS LEADERS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF AFRICA’S AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY.

President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, Kofi Annan and Jørgen Ole Haslestad of Yara International with Yara Prize recipients.

Leaders and visionaries in promoting a Green Revolution in Africa were honoured last night at the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) (http://www.agrforum.com) Awards gala dinner in Arusha. The AGRF Awards recognize Africa’s top leaders in the quest to create awareness of public/private initiatives to build a sustainable African agri-business industry, inspire a Green Revolution in Africa and make Africa food and nutrition secure.

The following individuals and organizations were recognized for their commitment and excellence in the following areas:

 -Media and Journalism – Joshua Kato, Uganda

-Private Sector Organizations – Neema Agricole du Faso (Nafaso), Burkina Faso

 -Farmer Organizations – Faso Jigi, Mali

 -Academia & Research Institutions –The African Centre for Crop Improvement, at the

University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; and Makerere University, Uganda

 -Advocacy Organizations – Rural Urban Development Initiatives (RUDI), Tanzania

 -Youth & Women – Africaworks, Mozambique

Dr. Namanga Ngongi Receives Lifetime Achievement Award

The AGRF Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Dr. Namanga Ngongi for his contribution to the transformation of Africa’s agricultural sector. Dr. Ngongi has had a diverse career in both agriculture and security, beginning in his native Cameroon, where he worked as an agricultural extension officer for the Ministry of Agriculture, helping farmers to improve yields and to diversify and market their crops. Following this position, he served in a number of roles: he was attached to the Cameroon Embassy in Rome, served as Deputy Executive of the World Food Programme, and was appointed as Undersecretary-General and Special Representative and Head of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Dr. Ngongi was the first full-time President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), retiring in 2011.

YARA Prize 2012 Awarded to Female African Leaders

The highlight of the AGRF Gala Awards was the YARA Prize – the Grand Prix for outstanding contributions to enhancing agricultural growth and food security in Africa, and driving an African-led Green Revolution in Africa.

Yara International awarded the Yara Prize 2012 to Dr. Agnes Kalibata, Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources in Rwanda, and to Dr. Eleni Gabre-Madhin, outgoing CEO of the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX) in Ethiopia.  Dr. Kalibata and Dr. Gabre-Mahdin were awarded the Yara Prize for their work in ground-breaking areas for the African Green Revolution.

Dr. Kalibata was recognized for her outstanding leadership in the transformation of food security and agricultural development in Rwanda.  Dr. Gabre-Mahdin was honoured for her remarkable stewardship of the transformation process toward an efficiently functioning market, especially for smallholder coffee producers in Ethiopia.