The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), United Nations specialized agency and AKADEMIYA2063, Kigali-based a pan-African non-profit research organization have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on promoting evidence-based policymaking, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, applied to Africa’s agrifood system transformation and continental agendas such as the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme.
Formalized during a ceremony held on the sidelines of the Africa Food Systems (AFS) Forum in Kigali today, the agreement will provide a framework for strengthening technical and institutional capacities, and in particular the data and analytical capacities of African experts.
“AKADEMIYA2063 is pleased to join forces with IFAD to deploy our collective expertise toward increasing food security, improving nutrition, and tackling the effects of climate change across Africa,” said Ousmane Badiane, Executive Chairperson at AKADEMIYA2063. “Combining robust data and analytics with IFAD’s strong focus on increasing productivity capacities of rural people is a powerful recipe for success in improving livelihoods across Africa,” he added.
Under the agreement, IFAD and AKADEMIYA2063 will set up mechanisms to contribute to impact assessments of IFAD-funded projects to improve project design and implementation while capitalizing on the key drivers of agrifood systems and rural transformation.
“Through this groundbreaking partnership with AKADEMIYA2063, IFAD will support cutting-edge African research and engage in programmatic intervention for impact. This research will provide IFAD and the development community at large with concrete evidence and knowledge on what works in the African context for their rural development investments,” said Donal Brown, IFAD Associate Vice-President, Programme Management Department.
Following the MoU signing, the parties held a bilateral discussion on the implementation of the MoU and on the organization and participation in joint events, such as conferences, policy dialogues, symposia, and workshops, to promote the initiative and share data and evidence to optimize the impact of development programmes and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals for rural people in Africa.
IFAD’s regional offices for East and Southern Africa and West and Central Africa will work closely with AKADEMIYA2063 to operationalize the MoU.
