Toward the establishment of a Pan African Agribusiness Holding Company

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, and the Chairperson of SOBEK Trade and Investment (Egypt), Mrs. Manal Abdel Moneim, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding in support of an initiative to launch a Pan African Agribusiness Holding Company.

The MoU signed on Tuesday 19 January at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, aims at developing women's agribusinesses by mobilizing investments and providing capacity to such businesses in different parts of the continent.

During the signing ceremony, the AU Commission Chairperson expressed her excitement about this initiative of the private sector, which, she noted was in line with Africa's Agenda 2063. “I am very pleased that women in the private sector who are doing so well have not forgotten to support and pull other women along. I am very much inspired”. Dr. Dlamini Zuma remarked.

The Pan African Agrobusiness Holding Company initiative was inspired by the AU's annual themes of Year of Agriculture and Food Security (2014); Year of Women's Empowerment and Development toward Agenda 2063 (2015), as well as the African Agribusiness Strategy.