The project Accelerating inclusive green growth through agri-based digital innovation in West Africa (AGriDI) is premised on the idea that taking a ‘food systems’ approach, which looks at various segments from production to consumption2, coupled with applications of digital transformations, could be one of the ways to address the twofold challenge of feeding a growing world, and not least, the African population and, of reducing negative externalities on the environment and human health.

 

Also, another assumption is that digital technologies/innovations will offer innovative ideas that make it possible to better understand and analyze food environments and co-design agro-food ecosystems. These innovations will also inform governments of sustainable food systems, while enabling better management of waste and natural resources to promote a green economy, and a better understanding and handling of the interactions of biotic and abiotic stresses on plants, animals and humans, and of political, social and economic risks.

 

Overall, the project intends to achieve a conducive environment for the development and use of agri-based digital innovations, especially for women and youth farmers, which eventually will lead to accelerating inclusive green growth in West Africa.

 

AGriDI is implemented in five countries of ECOWAS, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria through the deployment of ten local projects that are promoting digital technologies. To this effect, a baseline study was conducted to assess the ecosystem of digital technologies in the five countries. The main finding of the baseline study is that the rate of development of digital innovations in agriculture is closely linked to the efforts of each country in providing policies and strategies enabling access by the population (and especially by those living in rural area) to basic connectivity infrastructure (electricity and Internet). For example, the Mobile Connectivity Index (MCI3) in the five countries is still below 60, with the highest values recorded in Ghana and Nigeria that promote innovations more actively. Interestingly, all five countries have acknowledged the need to embrace a digital economy and developed either a separate document outlining their Strategic Digital Agriculture Plan (Benin and Nigeria) or embedded such strategies in their national development plans (Burkina Faso, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire).

 

VaRRIWA – Valorising Research Results and Innovation in West Africa assumes that links between academia, the public and private sector, and civil society will be when strengthened will ensure that the results of research and innovation (R&I) are readily accessible and effectively disseminated, exploited, and used.

 

VaRRIWA's activities will promote a dynamic Research and Innovation ecosystem that will enable actors who are active upstream (identification of R&I needs and development of solutions) as well as downstream (economic exploitation and application of solutions) to create value and fully benefit from research products.

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Objective of the webinar