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AGRA partners Microsoft to support agric digitisation in Africa

The Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and multinational technology firm Microsoft, have signed an endless agreement to jointly support agriculture digitisation in Africa.

Starting with Ghana and Kenya, the two organisations would jointly support African governments to develop agriculture strategies to transform their sectors.

AGRA would improve its existing programmes and develop new ones to drive the course while Microsoft would, on the other hand, bring its digital capabilities aboard to provide technological support.

Vanessa Adams, vice president, Country Support and Delivery, AGRA and Amrote Abdella, African Regional Director, Microsoft, signed the agreement on Tuesday at a press conference at the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) 2019 underway in Accra.

The week-long event, on the theme, “Grow Digital: Leveraging Digital Transformation to drive sustainable food system in Africa”, has assembled more than 2,300 global players in the agricultural sector who are discussing practical ways to use technology to transform the sector.

Ms Adams said the agreement comes without financial commitment and involves the transfer of knowledge to help the various countries scale up their turnover in agriculture for a turnaround of their economies.

Through the partnership, she said they envisage the development of technological solutions that would improve land optimization and food security, adding that AGRA had already started some work in Kenya.

“This partnership will help improve outputs. We are looking for ways to make agriculture more profitable for small holder farmers,” she said.

Ms Abdella, on her part, underscored the positive impact digital innovation could be as a tool for agriculture and gave the assurance that the impact of the collaboration would be significant for agriculture in Africa.

BY JONATHAN DONKOR

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