The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, held talks with Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, during the AU–IFRC High-Level Convening on Advancing Durable Solutions Towards Zero Hunger in Africa. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the event, according to Africa.com. Their discussion centred on how to reinforce food systems across the continent.
Why it matters
Hunger remains one of the continent's most persistent challenges, and both organisations used the convening to argue that lasting solutions depend on cooperation rather than isolated national efforts. The talks tied food security to a wider set of concerns — farming methods that can withstand a shifting climate, trade between African countries, transport and digital links, and the strength of agricultural supply chains. According to Africa.com, the two leaders framed these as connected pieces of a single agenda.
Technology and self-reliance at the centre
Youssouf stressed that modern tools, artificial intelligence among them, should be put to work in raising farm output, watching over public health and responding to humanitarian crises. He also argued that Africa can move toward feeding itself and making its own decisions on food supply, provided governance is effective and political leaders commit to the goal.
Chapagain, for his part, said the regular political contacts between Africa and Asia should be converted into concrete exchanges and joint projects. He singled out initiatives that test sustainable and new ways of securing food as the climate places growing strain on farming.
The two also restated the value of the AU–IFRC partnership in a number of areas: reinforcing health systems at community level, backing the creation of an African Humanitarian Agency, and improving readiness for climate-linked hazards and humanitarian emergencies.
A broader push around the convening
The Youssouf–Chapagain meeting was one of several engagements around the high-level event. King Letsie III of Lesotho delivered a keynote address at the AU–IFRC convening, and the AU Commission Chairperson received the king on the sidelines, according to the African Union. The Commission head has also publicly said the continent has what it takes to become a global food basket, a position reported by Fana Media Corporation.
Watch for whether the talk of Africa–Asia exchanges and technology-led farming translates into announced projects or funding as the zero-hunger convening concludes.
