The commemoration of the 6th Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security (ADFNS) took place on 30 October 2015 with a call for enhanced efforts to fight hunger and malnutrition in Africa, through women’s empowerment.

This year’s celebration themed “Empowering Our Women, Securing Our Food, Improving Our Nation,’’ is organized by the African Union Commission in collaboration with the Government of the Republic of Uganda, New Partnership for Africa’s Development Agency, United Nations Agencies and other implementing partners, to cultivate collective responsibility toward increasing sustainable access to safe, nutritious and healthy foods amongst Africa’s countries. The ADFNS serves as a rallying point to intensify political and financial commitments at all levels in order to address current challenges of food and nutrition insecurity in Africa.

Officially opening the commemoration, President of the Republic of Uganda, H.E Yoweri Museveni, represented by Uganda’s Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, H.E Muruli Mukasa called for the empowerment of women in social, economic, environmental and political terms, for wealth creation and prosperity for all.

President Museveni further noted that sustainable food and nutrition security could only be achieved through social transformation.

‘’There can be no dignity for a hungry man, a sick child, a burdened and marginalised woman, handicapped person or an angry youth,’’ he said. ’In order to get a solution, we must harmonise our thinking….we must adopt a double approach, with developing and developed nations each taking responsibility.’’

President Museveni reiterated his Government’s commitment to the eradication of hunger and malnutrition and also to eliminate negative cultural practices that undermine nutritional security of sections of Uganda’s population.

[Description: Pic 2] Also speaking during the official opening, AUC’s Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, H.E. Mrs. Tumusiime Rhoda Peace reiterated that eradicating hunger was possible, if only countries could make interventions for improving food and nutrition security a priority.

She pointed out that Africa's Leaders had declared 2015 as the "Year of Women Empowerment and Development towards Agenda 2063, a fact, H.E Tumusiime said, underscored the realisation that with women empowerment, cutting extreme poverty and hunger was attainable.

‘’Under its commitment to reduce poverty by half by the year 2025, the Malabo Declaration categorically calls for supporting and facilitating women and youth in "gainful and attractive agribusiness opportunities," she observed.

Commissioner Tumusiime recognized and thanked H.E. President Museveni’s contribution to the Malabo Declaration and his guidance to build and support the agricultural transformation goals that were agreed upon in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, that define the next decade of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Plan (CAADP) within the context of the first 10 years of Agenda 2063 and Vision 2025.

Other dignitaries present during the official opening included, Uganda’s Permanent Secretary representing the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Mr. Vincent Rubarema, Acting Director for Monitoring from the Office of the Prime Minister, Mr. Ssansa Mugenyi, NEPAD Agency representative, Ms. Isatou Jallow, FAO Sub-Regional Coordinator and Representative of the Development Partners’ Group, Dr. Patrick Kormawa and Honorable Victoria Sekitoleko, Executive Director, Uganda Agribusiness Alliance.

Calls to action from the technical discussions held since October 28, include:

Investment in nutrition
Advocacy for nutrition
Sustainability of nutrition programming
Partnerships and mutual accountability
Coordination and harnessing synergies
Nutrition evidence
Capacity building
Community and women’s empowerment
Adopt climate resilient agriculture in line with the Malabo declaration on climate change and adaptation
Make agriculture work for nutrition. 

The commemoration of the 6th ADFNS drew the participation of  high-level leaders from global, regional and national agriculture associations, African and other governments, civil society and farmer organizations, the private sector, scientific and research institutions, and development partners.