This event will contribute to gathering perspectives to better integrate digital tools into policies and programmes to strengthen food security

Co-organised by TMG Research gGmbH and the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), this event aims to create a discussion on the potential as well as challenges of digitalisation as an accelerator for food security in the context of African-European cooperation. The event aims to generate specific proposals on how to better integrate digital tools into policies and programmes to strengthen food security and the progressive realisation of the right to food in African countries.

The event looks ahead to the Africa-EU negotiations towards National and Regional Indicative Programmes under the EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF 2021-2027), and the upcoming EU-Africa Summit in early 2022.

By scrutinising portrayals of digitalisation as a “silver bullet” for addressing the many repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, the discussions will seek to pinpoint potential pitfalls in current EU policy frameworks, notably the European Commission’s Joint Communication “Towards a Comprehensive Strategy with Africa.”  Our starting point is that digitalisation alone cannot tackle the multifaceted and structural challenges that continue to undermine sustainable economic development on the continent. With a focus on food security as one such fundamental challenge, we will explore the importance of rights-based approaches in promoting climate-resilient food systems that strengthen societies and restore the agency of African populations in driving decision making on Africa’s future.