African Echoes

ABOUT

The Organization

Upside Africa (UA) is an Organisation devoted to the growth and development

of Africa and Africans, both on the continent and in the diaspora. The

Organisation seeks to build a vibrant, committed and dynamic community, which promotes and enriches

the vision and activities of Professionals and Entrepreneurs.

African Echoes – Agribusiness & AgriTech Series

Session 1: Maximising Africa’s Agribusiness potential through awareness and

involvement (July 2019)

Agriculture must play a significant role in order for large scale and sustainable economic transformation

to occur across Africa. The continent finds itself in a disjointed situation, where on average it is a net food

importer (approximately $ 35 Billion annually) and yet it has 65% of the world’s uncultivated arable land .

The causes of the current situation range from uncoordinated policy alignment, failed implementation of

initiatives across the region, lack of resources (e.g. financing, infrastructure, skilled human resources,

etc.) and extreme weather patterns due to global warming, to name a few.

While the situation may be complex, there is an energy, drive and hopefulness that exists amongst

ourselves. Refusing to be left behind, these entrepreneurs, professionals, companies and communities

have created solutions (products and services) that look to transform various parts of the agricultural value

chains (both locally and internationally). It is against this backdrop that we present our African Echoes

series that focuses on Agribusiness and AgriTech.

OBJECTIVE

To educate and discuss the ways in which we can revolutionise agriculture in Africa. Specific focus on

people who are doing things now and creating a space for people to connect. Discussion points include:

1. Feed Africa Strategy 2025.

2. The opportunities that agriculture presents for Africa and specifically South Africa.

3. Digitisation of Agriculture in Africa.

4. Share your journey in Agribusiness and AgriTech.

5. Look at ways in which we can collaborate to encourage people to get involved in agriculture in

Africa and specifically in South Africa for this edition.