By Foday Moriba Conteh
Craving 4 Development, a prominent organization dedicated to fostering agricultural progress, organized a Press Conference on Tuesday, October 31, 2023. The event took place at the Institute of Public Administration and Management Campus on Tower Hill in Freetown. The purpose of the Press Conference was geared towards providing the Sierra Leonean media with insights into the upcoming Fourth Edition of the Pan-African Symposium on Agriculture (PASA).
The Pan-African Symposium on Agriculture will be held in Freetown, Sierra Leone, from November 27 to November 29, 2023, at the Bintumani Conference Center with a vision is to establish a regional platform rooted in knowledge and partnerships. This platform aims to harness the potential of youth engagement in agriculture, industrialization, mechanization, food sovereignty, investments, and interconnected supply chains across Africa.
PASA’s mission is to initiate a valuable endeavour focused on practical knowledge sharing, export readiness, exposure to various systems, businesses, enablers and innovations. Its goal is to construct robust frameworks and agro-industrial enterprises, cultivate enhanced human capital, establish interconnected networks of experts, structured and accessible markets and opportunities for enduring collaborations.
The symposium’s journey commenced in 2020, with its First Edition held virtually in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Second Edition took place in Senegal in November 2021, featuring both physical participants and over 1,000 African youth engaging through virtual platforms.
The event emphasized networking and reached an impressive 11 million African youth. The Third Edition, held in Sierra Leone, centered on “Strengthening Agri-Food Supply Chains in Africa” and had a remarkable impact on Sierra Leonean MSMEs, agricultural experts, and enthusiasts significantly influencing the agribusiness ecosystem.
Building on the momentum generated by the 2023 Edition, Craving 4 Development is bringing the Fourth Edition of the symposium back to Sierra Leone. This Edition’s focus is on, “Leveraging Technological Breakthroughs to Drive Industrialization in African Agriculture.” It will unite 23 African countries through an array of African experts.
PASA will encompass panel sessions, breakout sessions, a match-making event connecting entrepreneurs with service providers, an exhibition floor, and an Innovation Fair.
Furthermore, an Access to Finance round table will be featured, enhancing the potential for robust collaboration in the African agricultural sector.
