African Agribusiness Forum
Conquering Challenges and Harnessing Opportunities
in 21st Century Africa
The African Agribusiness Forum took place on May 13, 2010 at the Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West, South Africa. Sponsored by Novus International, the Forum was opened by a keynote address entitled “Climate Change: Distribution and Market Opportunities” by Dr. Joyce Cacho (photo on the right), Chief Sustainability Officer for Novus International. (Read the full address here.) The opening was followed by two panel discussions. The first focused on the task of creating an enabling business environment for African enterprises, especially those in the SME (small and medium-size) category. Panelists included Lentse Bhengu (portfolio manager of the Agribusiness Sector at WesGro; photo below), Michael Brown (International Agribusiness Consultant), Rian Coetzee (Head of Agribusienss at Industrial Development Corporation, South Africa), and development economist Emelly Mutambatsere (African Development Bank). The panel was moderated by Professor Johan van Rooyen from Stellenbosch University.
The afternoon panel focused on another key challenge facing the Continent’s agribusiness sector: environmental problems such as global warming and its consequences, including more extreme weather phenomena such as more frequent draughts in many parts of Africa. This panel included researcher Hugh Campbell of the South African Deciduous Fruit Producer Trust, climate researcher Peter Johnston (University of Cape Town), plant breeder and renowned expert on drought-resistant crop breeding Professor Jennifer Thomson (University of Cape Town), and Bombiti Nzanza of ZZ2, one of South Africa’s leading horticulture enterprises. The panel was moderated by Lulama Ndibongo-Traub from Stellenbosch University. The event was attended by 110 participants, many of whom engaged in a thoughtful dialogue with the presenters and fellow participants.