By Emmanuel Simpokolwe:
The Government with support from the African Union Development Agency (Auda)-Nepad has launched the Zero Hunger Private Sector pledge, an initiative that calls upon private sector engagement to eradicate hunger in the country.
Speaking during the launch in Lilongwe Deputy Director of Planning at the Department of Agriculture and Planning Services, Boyd Hamella said the initiative will address critical barriers by creating an enabling business environment.
He said the initiative seeks to align private sector investments with the aim of high-impact interventions and public policy priorities.
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According to Hamella the ultimate goal is to close the investment gap and improve food security in Malawi, where the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2024 indicates a serious hunger situation with a score of 21.9.
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He said when it comes to issues of private sector investments in the agriculture sector; the Ministry is currently housing the secretariat of Country Agribusiness Partnership Framework (CAP-F) initiative which was launched in March 2019.
“This concept known as CAP-F is a framework designed to harness the full potential of private sector investment in transforming our food systems for the future,” he said.
Auda-Nepad Programs Officer Eyram Assagba said The Zero Hunger private sector pledge is one of the three pillars of the Zero Hunger coalition that calls upon companies and investment funds to join the global movement to end hunger by 2030.
According to Assagba, the Private Sector pledge put emphasis on private sector investment to close the investment gaps in food system transformation Africa.
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“We have this initiative going on around the world, and we hope that this initiative will bring a substantial input to the efforts that the public and the private sector are making in Malawi,” he said.
The Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge emerged from the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) Action Track 1.
