Farmers Review Africa Sept/Oct 2018 FRA - September - October 2018 digital 5 | Page 46

FEATURE
intelligence and robotics in agriculture.
In a continent where more than 640m
are without electricity, Adesina says
the private sector is key to Africa’s
development in Africa’s energy and
agriculture sectors.
He continues to single out the NEPAD
Infrastructure Project Preparation
Facility, Africa 50 - a private equity
institution which has raised more than
US$ 850m from 22 countries, and the
new Africa Investment Forum.
Adesina also recognizes lack
of electricity as Africa’s biggest
development impediment. As such, the
44 |September - October 2018
Bank’s new and ambitious Desert-to-
Power initiative which aims to generate
10,000MW of power across Africa’s
Sahel region is set to significantly reduce
migration and climate change impacts.
Agriculture steadily taking
center-stage
According to Adesina, the strategy
is already bearing fruit with the
establishment of Staple Crop
Processing Zones in several African
countries. These include Ethiopia,
Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo,
and Mozambique, with a plan to reach
15 countries in a few years.
As these are strategically located in
and around rural farming communities,
these agriculture zones are set to form
the heart of a new wave of agro-
industries and Greenfield ventures.
This, Adesina says, will go a long
way towards attracting agripreneurs,
biotechnology firms, intellectual and
capital investments. They will also
ensure that foods are processed
and packaged right where they are
produced, rather than in urban centers
far removed from centers of production.