Agriculture ministers from 15 African countries are meeting in Nairobi to discuss challenges affecting the sector.
Kenya is hosting a regional meeting on strengthening agricultural research in Eastern and Central African nations.
Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi, who is the patron of the council of ministers in the 15 member countries, said they are seeking to establish centres of excellence for selected and priority commodities in Africa.
This, he said, includes promoting biofortified crops for enhanced food and nutrition security in Eastern and Central Africa.
The CS spoke during a media briefing on the third council meeting of the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA).
The meeting will be held today at Safari Park Hotel.
Linturi said the participants will discuss how to support policy and advocacy efforts to mitigate and control the aflatoxin challenge in the region and emerging pests and diseases.
The meeting will also seek to strengthen strategic partnerships with private sector networks for enhanced trade and commercialisation of agricultural technologies and innovations.
Linturi said these benefits greatly contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially on food and nutrition security for Africa.
“Kenya is privileged to host this high-level event as it enhances the visibility of our country and facilitates exchange of knowledge among senior political, policy and research leaders, especially on priorities that bind us together as a continent,” he said.
Dr Enock Warinda, executive director of ASARECA, said the intergovernmental organisation brings together 15 countries in Eastern and Central Africa.
He said food scarcity, climate change, pests and diseases are major problems in Africa that call for the a concerted effort from ministers of agriculture.
“We want to bring these ministers together and discuss and come up with practical solutions. And beyond that, you can’t do much without financial support hence the meeting will also bring together donors and development partners who are allied to agriculture,” he said.
Warinda added that the meeting also seeks to come up with practical, top-end priority regional programmes that can support the youth, alleviate poverty and bring in support for the smallholder farmers.
“We want to make sure that food and nutrition insecurity no longer become an insecurity but a security, where people of all walks of life can have free access to food,” he said.
