New board of directors for SACAU

Salum Shamte, chairman of the Agricultural Council of Tanzania (ACT), was elected vice president, while Jane Ngulube from the National Smallholder Farmers' Union of Malawi (NASFAM), was elected as a board member. The other board members are: Haja Rakotomandimby from Coalition Paysanne de Madagascar (CPM) and Ishmael Sunga who is an executive director and the CEO of SACAU. The new SACAU Board has representation from both small and large-scale farming sectors.

The African Farmers' Association of South Africa (AFASA) was admitted as the newest member of SACAU.

Annual conference

The AGM was preceded by the annual conference with the theme: "Financing Agricultural Transformation beyond Food Security." The conference was attended by all SACAU members and stakeholders from the region and internationally.

Speakers included His Excellency Dr Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, as well as Dr Akinwumi A Adesina, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and Christopher Chiza, Minister for Agriculture, Food Security and Co-operatives of the United Republic of Tanzania.

In-depth attention was paid to the following sub-themes:

• Re-visioning agricultural development in Africa.
  
• Reconfiguring agricultural financing: Towards a growth and business development-centred/ oriented agricultural development approach.
  
• An outlook of key agricultural commodities and opportunities for farmers.
  
• An update of selected key agricultural-related development, which included Grow Africa, SADC/COMESA/EAC tripartite free-trade agreement and climate change negotiations.