Fairtrade Africa Forum Programme
Effective Trade Partnerships for Sustainable Livelihoods in Africa

Registration

Opening video – The impact of Fairtrade in Africa

Welcome to Ghana and Fairtrade Africa

Welcome address:

Fairtrade’s role in achieving the Millennium Development Goals in Africa

Opening address:

The role of smallholders and medium-sized enterprises in poverty alleviation, food security and job creation in Ghana/Africa

Effective trade partnerships for sustainable livelihoods in Africa

The 2011 Africa Fairtrade Expo – Official opening

Lunch

Session 1: Equal trade partnerships – Sustainable production, sustainable businesses, sustainable livelihoods

Producers, industry, policy makers and Fair Trade stakeholders will explore the significance of equal trade partnerships for sustainable production, businesses and the promotion of sustainable livelihoods in Africa. The panel will explore positive examples of trading partnerships, strategies and projects in the Africa region and how these can be up-scaled and mainstreamed to broaden and deepen impact for both producers and businesses. 

Session 2: Climate change and the emerging green economy – Opportunities for African producers

Climate change is a major threat to sustainable development and livelihoods, especially in Africa. However, the drive towards a green economy offers considerable opportunities for mobilising resources towards climate-resilient development pathways. Green economies can contribute to sustainable development, poverty reduction and the quality of life for Africa’s citizens. The panel will explore institutional structures, policies and partnerships and give concrete examples of existing strategies and programmes in Africa.

Fairtrade coffee, tea, cocoa break

Parallel Sessions: Calls to Action

Group interactive sessions with greater focus on expanding existing initiatives and how to adapt them so that success can be replicated and rolled out on a much larger scale to benefit many producers and advance the goal and aims of Fairtrade.

Equal trade partnerships – Sustainable production, sustainable businesses, sustainable livelihoods

The emerging green economy and climate change – Opportunities for African producers

Plenary session

Presentation of parallel session outcomes

Closing remarks and end of Day 1

Official reception

Opening remarks and recap of day 1

Session 3: Market access platforms – How can Africa exploit market opportunities?

Effective market access remains a major challenge for African producers due to factors such as poor infrastructure and low understandings of market demand. Increasing access to markets will require effective partnerships, access to technical support programmes and farmer based organisations working together through their collective capacities. The panel will provide concrete examples of existing market access programmes and explore strategies to increase market access for African producers. 

Fairtrade coffee, tea, cocoa break

Session 4: Financing Africa’s agriculture – Understanding the continent’s realities.

Access to agricultural production and trade finance remains a major problem across Africa. Producers’ access to finance has an impact on the adoption of improved agricultural practices and technologies. To increase access to agricultural finance, improved partnerships between financial institutions, development organisations and market actors is essential. Understanding the African agricultural environment and designing financial products to reflect these are critical for success. In this session, conventional, ethical financial institutions and producers will discuss costs and availability of agriculture finance in Africa. The panel will also focus on financing intra-African trade opportunities and explore how financial institutions could support producers and traders to benefit.

Lunch

Session 5: Improving producer capacity – Increasing access to agricultural research and best practices

There is considerable research in the areas of yield improvement, product quality management and sustainable agricultural practices. However, vehicles for disseminating research results and best practices across Africa remain a major challenge. With extensive networks reaching out to thousands of producers across several countries in Africa, major certification bodies such as Fairtrade can play a significant role in increasing uptake of valuable research and promotion of best practices. The panel will focus on gaps in disseminating agricultural research and structures for sharing best practices in the areas of production, management and organisational capacities and explore the role of certification bodies in the process.

Parallel Sessions: Calls to Action

Group interactive sessions with greater focus on expanding existing initiatives and how to adapt them so that success can be replicated and rolled out on a much larger scale to benefit many producers and advance the goal and aims of Fairtrade.

Market access platforms – How can Africa exploit market opportunities?

Financing Africa’s agriculture – Understanding the continent’s realities

Improving producer capacity – Increasing access to agricultural research and best practices 

Fairtrade coffee, tea, cocoa break

Plenary session

Presentation of parallel session outcomes

A commitment to action

Closing remarks