Minister hails rollout of agribusiness deal room

Minister of Agriculture Lobin Lowe has hailed the launch of the 2022 Malawi Agribusiness Deal Room, a platform for key players in the agriculture sector to engage and strike partnerships.

Speaking during the launch last week in Lilongwe, the minister said the Ministry of Agriculture is key to the recovery of the country’s economy.

“With over 80 percent of our people employed in agriculture sector, we can no longer afford to play jokes with agribusiness development,” he said.

Lowe said the holding of the meeting was a sign of government’s commitment to ensuring that there was adequate engagement to address challenges facing the country’s agriculture development.

He said government is committed to achieving food security and shared economic prosperity as outlined in Malawi 2063, the country’s long-term development strategy.

Lowe said with support from partners such as Alliance for a Green Revolution in Agriculture (Agra), they have embarked on policy reforms to create a conducive environment for trade in the agriculture sector.

Agra board chairperson Hailemariam Dessalegn, who is former Ethiopia Prime Minister, said the deal room supports enterprises and governments through a combination of in-country project preparation, pipeline development, project bankability, investment promotion and discussions regarding the enabling environment for the African agribusiness sector.

He said the initiative also facilitates substantive transaction-centred dialogue and connections among key stakeholders, including enterprises, farmers, governments, investors, financial institutions, non-governmental organisations and development partners.

Dessalegn said the initiative will provide an opportunity for Malawi to showcase both public and private sector opportunities to investors, financial institutions, development partners and other stakeholders looking for partnerships.

“It will be an opportunity to deepen the engagement with these actors and mobilise increased investment and partnerships to the country,” he said.

Africa Green Revolution Forum is one of the forums for African agriculture that brings together stakeholders in the agricultural sector.