On November 4 and 5, the Kingdom of Morocco is hosting the 2nd Annual Ministerial Conference of the African Adaptation Initiative for Climate Change (AAA Initiative), a high-potential solution to tackle food insecurity and climate change in Africa.
Food security in the face of climate change
While climate change is making headlines, the AAA Initiative will gather Ministers and representatives of African governments, key financial and technical institutions, donors, private sector, universities and scientists at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University of Benguerir.
Amongthe10countriesmostthreatenedbyglobalwarming,6areinAfrica,whilethecontinentisonlyresponsiblefor4%ofglobal emissions of greenhouse gases and accounts for 65% of the world’s arable land. The AAA Initiative aims to provide an innovative and concrete response to the challenges raised by climate change in Africa, by mobilizing international knowledgeandintellectualandfinancialresources.ThefirstdayoftheconferencewillbedevotedtotheScientificDay,during which leading international experts and scientists will discuss Africa’s food security challenges related to climate change, whiletheDonorsRoundtablewilldiscusswaystomobilizefunds.OnNovember5th,theAfricanMinistersofAgriculturewillmeet to advise on the vision and strategic routes of the AAAInitiative.
The AAA: an African initiative for Africa
LaunchedinMoroccoin2016aheadoftheCOP22,theAAAInitiativeemergedwiththeawarenessthatinAfrica,issueslinkedto adaptation to climate change and the agricultural world are hardly taken into account when it comes to international negotiations and funds allocation. In the «Marrakesh Declaration», participants unanimously declared their commitment to support the AAA Initiative to help African agriculture adapt to climate change. Several milestones have been successfully reached, to give more visibility to the AAA Initiative, to help African countries to implement their nationally determined contributions (NDC) and to strengthen the capacity building of African policy makers and projectholders.
SinceJanuary2019,theAAAinitiativeisheldbyafoundation,undertheimpetusofHisMajestytheKingMohammedVI,withthe mandate of implementing the objectives of the AAA Initiative, but also of providing assistance, advice, capacity building and technical support to decision makers, local institutions, project holders and farmers in Africa. Since then, the Foundation has sought to contribute to food security, improve the living conditions of vulnerable farmers and promote employment in rural areas by encouraging climate change adaptation practices and channeling financial flows towards the most vulnerablefarmers.
TheAnnualConferenceoftheAAAMinistershasthenbecomeenshrinedintheAAAFoundation’sstatutes,asanadvisorybody in charge of identifying the action programs needed to achieve the adaptation of African agriculture to climatechange.
The AAA Initiative is actively supported by the UNFCCC, the FAO and 33 African countries: Morocco, Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia,GuineaConakry,GuineaBissau,Côted’Ivoire,Lesotho,Madagascar,Mali,Malawi,Mauritius,Mauritania,Nigeria,Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sudan, South Sudan, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Tanzania, Togo and Zambia, and other countries are welcome tojoin.
Our partners
The AAA conference is organized this year in partnerships with Mohammed VI Polytechnic University and OCP Group.
Mohammed VI Polytechnic Universityis a hub of education, research, innovation and entrepreneurship, focusing on African strategicchallengessuchasfoodsecurity,renewableenergy,climatechange,inadditiontoeconomicandbusinessdevelopment. Located in the “Mohammed VI Green City” in Benguerir, near Marrakech, UM6P applies a “learning by doing” approach and developssoundpartnershipswithworld-wideclassuniversities,topromoteleadershipandtraininginfocusedresearchareas.By contributing to the training of a new generation of researchers, entrepreneurs and leaders, UM6P is committed to positioning Morocco and Africa at the forefront of technology and humanSciences.
OCPGroupisaleadingcompanyinthephosphaterockandoneoftheworld’sfirstproducersofphosphate-basedfertilizers.OCP plays an important role in feeding a growing global population, by providing essential elements for soil fertility and plants growth. Headquartered in Morocco and present on 5 continents, OCP works in a close partnership with more than 160 customers over theworld.
As a responsible industrial player, OCP is strongly committed to Africa’s environmental, social and human development. The group provides a wide range of well-adapted fertilizer products to enhance soil, increase agricultural yields, and help feeding the planetinasustainableandaffordableway.OCPplacesinnovationattheheartofitsstrategy,inparticulartoimplementsustainable and prosperous agriculture on thecontinent.
More info at: http://www.aaainitiative.org
DONORS ROUNDTABLE, 4 NOVEMBER 2019
PROGRAM
| Time | Content |
| 09:30 – 09:45 | Opening: Abir Lemseffer, Executive Director of the AAA Foundation |
| 09:45 – 10:45 | Panel 1: Prioritisation and anchoring of financing for Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Presentation: Climate Smart Investment Plans (CSAIP’s) development vision and pro- cess and the role of AAA – Abir Lemseffer (AAA)Presentation: Results and possibilities for the implementation of the CSAIPs – Tobias Baedeker (WB)Presentation: CSAIPs Deep Dive: [Cote d’Ivoire or Mali’s CSAIP]Presentation: Lessons learned from CSAIP preparation and next steps – Evan Girvetz International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Kenya Speaker Q&A Moderation: [AFD Representative] |
| 10:45 – 11:00 | Coffee Break |
| 11:00 – 12:15 | Panel 2: Regional strategies to mobilize climate financing, AAA as the agriculture arm of AAI Presentation of regional strategies to mobilize climate finance in African countriesStatus of climate finance in Africa and future trendsPresentation of results of the first dialogue on the implementation of the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for agriculture in Africa, held on 22 and 23 July 2019 in RabatRole of the private sector in popularizing market-level adaptation/financing or subsi- dies and public finance? Policy choices or parts of a “holistic” system Panelists: Dr. Aliyu Abdulhameed – MD/CEO, Nigeria Incentive-based Risk Sharing system for agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), NigeriaPeter Odhengo, GCF National Focal Point, Ministry of Finance, Kenya Keynote speaker: Seyni Alfa Nafo, Adaptation Initiative for Africa (AAI), Mali |
| 12:15 – 13:30 | Panel 3: Demystifying private sector investment Topic: Hearing from the business community: Specific examples of business deals in African Agriculture and what role governments and development partners played in making them happenGoing forward, the support expected by business, including for blended finance deals Panelists: Gilbert Houngbo (IFAD – Rome or rep. On new private investment window)Rep from Morocco business incubator (https://wiredstartups.com/about.html)Karim Senhadji, CEO OCP Africa[2/3 other private sector representatives based on availability] Moderation: Tanja Havemann – Clairmondiale, Zurich, Switzerland |
| 13:30 – 15:00 | Lunch break |
| 15:00 – 16:30 | Wrap up & closing |
| Time | Content |
| 09:30 – 09:45 | Opening: Mohamed Ait Kadi, Chair of the Scientific Committee, AAA Foundation |
| 09:45 – 10:45 | Setting the Scene The State of African Agriculture and Food Security in the face of Climate Change Keynotes speakers: Rattan Lal, Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science and Director of the Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, The Ohio State University, and an Adjunct Professor of University of IcelandAbdellah Moksit, Secretary of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCCPatrick Caron, Researcher at CIRAD for 30 years and Deputy Vice-President «Interna- tional Relations» of the University of Montpellier, France |
| 10:45 – 11:00 | Coffee Break |
| 11:00 – 12:15 | General Moderator: Faouzi Bekkaoui, Scientific Director, AAA Foundation Panel 1: Soil Health and Climate Change Adaptation in Africa Keynote speaker: Shamie Zingore, Director, African Plant Nutrition Institute, Nairobi, Kenya Panelists: Shamie Zingore, Director, African Plant Nutrition Instituten, Nairobi, KenyaFassil Kebede, Professor, University Mohammed VI Polytechnic, MoroccoAly Bousabaa, Director General, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas ICARDA, Rabat, MoroccoSteve Phillips, Principal Scientist at African Plant Nutrition Institute, North American Director International Plant Nutrition InstituteDebisi Araba, Director, International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), ColombiePaul Luu, PhD, Executif Secretary, «4 pour 1000 initiative», Montpelier, FranceRachid Moussadek, Director, INRA MoroccoIsmail Cackmak, PhD : Lead of Harvest Zinc (IFPRI) & Professor, Sabanci University |
| 12:15 – 13:30 | Panel 2: Enhancing food security through building water resilience in Africa Keynote speaker: Mark Smith, Deputy Director General, International Water Management Insti- tute (IWMI), Battaramulla, Sri Lanka Panelists: Eduardo Mansur, Director of the Division of Forest Assessment, Management and Conservation, FAO, Rome, ItalyJerry Deli Priscoli, Global Water Partershio (GWP) Technical Committee Chair, Stockholm, SwedenAbdulay SENNE, Executive Secretary, Ministry of Water Senegal and Chair of the Orga- nizing Committee of 9th World Water Forum (WWF9), DakarIssifi Boureina, Special Advisor to the President of Niger and Chair of the Technical Group of the Sahel CommissionAhmed Bouari, Director of Irrigation, Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery, Rural Develop- ment and Forestry, MoroccoGuillaume Benoit, General Engineer, Conseil Général de l’Alimentation, de l’Agriculture et des Espaces Ruraux (CGAAER), and Coordinator of the French Water Partnership, FranceAbdelghani Chehbouni, PhD, Head of International Research Institute, UM6P |
SCIENTIFIC SESSION, 4 NOVEMBER 2019
DRAFT PROGRAM 2/2
| 13:30 – 15:00 | Lunch break |
| 15:00 – 16:15 | Panel 3: Climate Risk Management: Agricultural Insurance Keynote speaker: Mariam Dkhil, Director of the Cooperation and Sustainable Development Division, Crédit Agricole du Maroc Panelists: Charles Murekesi, Director General of Agricultural Development at the Ministry of Agriculture of RwandaAbdelaziz Ouedraogo, Director General of Rural Economic Promotion at the Ministry of Agriculture of Burkina FasoSidiki CISSE, Director General of the National Agency for Rural Development Support (ANADER) in Côte d’IvoireHadj Ali Muhammad Katu, Managing Director of the Ghana Agricultural Insurance Pool (GAIP)Khalid Abdellaoui, Deputy General Manager of the Moroccan Agricultural Insurance Mutual |
| 16:15 – 17:30 | Panel 4: Financing small holders on agriculture Keynote speaker (on progress) Panelists: Japhet Justine, Managing Director, Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank, TanzaniaOlabode Abikoye, Executive Director, Wholesale Banking, Bank of Agriculture, NigeriaJohan Fougeaud, Investment Director, Mirova, FranceChristian Fusillier, Agriculture, rural development and biodiversity Director, French Development Agency, FranceMarion Hoenicke, Head of neighbouring countries, Banks divisionAgnes Johan, Senior product specialist blended & impact finance. Rabobank, Nether- landsRobert Berlin, Head Agricultural Services, digital delivery and country programme, Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, SwitzerlandDr Rob Mikelson, Director of Education & Communication, African Plant Nutrition Institut (APNI)Mohamed el Gharous, Lead of Africa Innovative Agriculture Platform, UM6PPatrice Annequin, Private Sector Specialist, International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) |
| 17:30 – 18:00 | Wrap up & closing |
MINISTERIAL SESSION, 5 NOVEMBER 2019
DRAFT PROGRAM
| Time | Content |
| 09:00 – 09:15 | Welcoming remarks by the President of the UM6P |
| 09:15 – 09:30 | Opening Speech by HE M AZIZ AKHANNOUCH, President of the AAA Initiative Foundation |
| 09:30 – 09:40 | Keynote Speech of HE M JOSEPHA SACKO, AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture |
| 09:40 – 09:50 | Keynote Speech of M AHMED REDA CHAMI, President of the Economic, Social and Environ- mental Council |
| 09:50 – 10:00 | Keynote Speech – African Development Bank |
| 10:00 – 10:10 | Keynote Speech – FAO |
| 10:10 – 10:20 | Keynote Speech – World Bank |
| 10:20 – 10:30 | Keynote Speech – Green Climat Fund |
| 10:30 – 10:40 | Presentation of an update of the AAA Initiative (implementation and governance) by the Execu- tive Director of the AAA Initiative Foundation |
| 10:40 – 10:45 | Signature of agreements between AAA and its partners |
| 10:45 – 10:55 | Reading of the recommendations of the Scientific session |
| 10:55 – 11:05 | Reading of the recommendations of the Donors Roundtable |
| 11:05 – 12:35 | Debate: each minister has 7 minutes |
| 12:35 – 12:45 | Reading and Adoption of the AAA Ministerial Summit declaration |
| 15:00 – 16:00 | Visit of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University |
| 16:00 – 17:00 | Visit of the Experimental Farm |
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