The Regional Network of Agricultural Policy Research Institutes (ReNAPRI) and the Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), to foster a comprehensive partnership for strategic engagement.
According to a statement by ReNAPRI posted on its website on Saturday, the virtual signing ceremony took place on June 11th 2020 and aimed to support agricultural policy and other related decision-making across Africa.
It stated that the MoU will further strengthen the long-standing relationship as well as foster collaboration in providing evidence, knowledge products and recommend solutions to key stakeholders.
Board Chairman of ReNAPRI, Dr. Miltone Ayieko underscored the role of the private sector as the backbone for economic growth at national and regional levels.
He stressed the need for an enabling policy and regulatory environment to support their effective operation, while noting that decision making by the private sector and their effective contribution to policy dialogue, needed to be supported by well-organized data and strong evidence from recognized think tanks.
According to Ayieko, the MoU would provide the intersection between ReNAPRI and EAGC by working together to respond effectively to the ever-growing needs of stakeholders working in agricultural policy in Africa.
The Executive Director of EAGC, Mr Gerald Masila in his remarks, said the MOU would support the region “to generate evidence-based policy around grain trade and development.
While EAGC aims to improve the policy and trading environment in regional grain trade, strengthen market linkages and reduce constraints along the grain value chain, ReNAPRI is a network of agricultural policy research institutes with presence in East, Southern, Central, and West Africa.
The network generates sustainable and high-quality research products that can be used by both the EAGC Secretariat and its members in their efforts to influence national and regional policy for grain trade and development.
Given the current COVID-19 pandemic and the impact that it has posed on the private sector in the region, both organizations understand the importance of accurate, frequent, reliable, timely, and easily accessible information to assist the public and private sector in their response to the crisis.
It is for this reason that ReNAPRI is currently working to support national governments and regional bodies to address the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic. In collaboration with other organizations, ReNAPRI is also supporting matters of regional food trade and the impact of border closures in the African continent.
