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From 06 to 09 September 2022, hundreds of major players and stakeholders from the African continent, including Heads of State, gathered in Kigali (Rwanda) to discuss the state of Africa's food systems and the urgent need to transform them. 

This was at the 12th annual Summit of the Forum on the Green Revolution in Africa, whose theme is: "Grow. Feed. Reward - Bold actions for resilient food systems".

On the bangs of the summit, a special panel brought together First Ladies from across the African continent, to discuss how to "Increase access to healthy diets as part of the African Union's Year of Nutrition".

Invited to deliver a message on this occasion, CORAF's Executive Director, Dr Abdou TENKOUANO, underlined in his remarks that a healthy diet requires the consumption of rich and diversified foods.

"To have a healthy diet, there needs to be diversity at the table. Diversity at the table can be enhanced by diversity in the fields, using our indigenous crops, such as millets and leafy vegetables. Diversity in the field can be increased by biofortified varieties", said Dr Abdou TENKOUANO, Executive Director of CORAF. 

Breaking the "scarcity amidst abundance" paradox

In fact, for Dr. TENKOUANO, diversity in the diet of African populations should not be a problem, given the continent's potential.

"Africa is known for its rich biodiversity, but it is also known for harboring, unfortunately, a high prevalence of hunger and malnutrition," said Dr. TENKOUANO, using the oxymoron of "Scarcity in the midst of abundance" to paint the picture of the continent's situation. 

In the same vein, Prof. Ruth ONIANG'O, Founder and Director of Rural Outreach Africa, who was also on the panel, asked: "Africa is the world's leading continent. We have everything, so how can we be hungry and malnourished? We should be talking about sending food to Ukraine instead of crying about the war there.

"Nutrient-rich crops should be encouraged, such as traditional leafy or fruiting vegetables, which can be grown alongside cash crops. Similarly, raising poultry or small ruminants, as a complementary activity, could provide a much-needed source of animal protein to supplement the diet", advises CORAF's Executive Director.

Preparing food without killing nutrients

Dr TENKOUANO also emphasizes the need to adopt good cooking practices, to ensure a healthy diet.

"Diversity at the table can be improved through nutrient-preserving cuisine," he said.

The "Traditional African Vegetables" recipe booklet, co-authored by the expert, highlights cooking techniques for a number of nutrient-rich leaf and fruit vegetables.