NAIROBI, March 18 (Xinhua) -- The transformation of food systems in Africa to help the continent meet its hunger eradication goal requires sustained investments in quality seeds, technology, post-harvest storage and value addition, senior officials from the African Development Bank (AfDB) said on Tuesday.

AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina said that investing in agriculture holds the key to leapfrogging the continent to a new era of industrial growth, food security, and export competitiveness.

Speaking at the end of a high-level conference titled "Scaling Finance for Smallholder Farmers in Africa" held in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, Adesina urged governments and the private sector to seize vast investment opportunities in the continent's agriculture sector to spur growth and job creation.

Unlocking the full potential of Africa's agriculture, with more than 70 percent of the sector being subsistence-based, requires combining public and private sector investments in production, storage, agro-processing and marketing, noted Adesina.

He disclosed that the pan-African lender has prioritized funding toward proven technologies, enhancing access to inputs such as fertilizer and improved seeds and capacity building for smallholder farmers to boost the resilience and productivity of food systems in the continent.

Beth Dunford, vice president for agriculture, human and social development at the AfDB, said that new investments are required to address chronic challenges facing the continent's food systems such as inadequate access to quality seeds, weather-related shocks, post-harvest losses and market volatility.

She called for public-private partnerships to unlock investments in Africa's agriculture, enhance its resilience to climate change and secure decent incomes for rural farmers.

Nearly 300 delegates, including senior policymakers, industry leaders, donors, innovators, entrepreneurs and farmers' lobby groups, attended the two-day forum, convened by the Kenyan government in conjunction with the AfDB and the Pan-African Farmers Organization. Enditem

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