AGRICULTURAL Non-State Actors Forum (ANSAF) of Tanzania was declared the winner of the 2013 ONE Africa Award and proud recipient of the 100,000 US Dollars prize.
According to a statement issued on Friday evening at the event held in Addis Ababa by ONE Africa, the win celebrates the innovations and progress made by the African civil society organisation towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Africa.
“This Award is for Tanzanian and African smallholder farmers who work had to ensure Africa has enough food to feed nations,” said ANSAF’s Executive Director, Mr Audax Rukonge after accepting the trophy.
ANSAF is a network of non-state stakeholders in Tanzania’s agricultural sector that brings the voices of struggling smallholder farmers to the policy-making table.
The organisation monitors Tanzania’s agricultural budget and advocates for government to allocate 10 per cent of its national budget to agricultural and rural development in accordance with the 2003 Maputo Declaration.
The network is using cashew nuts to develop an advocacy model aimed at improving the entire value chain of agriculture in the country. Tanzania was once one of the world’s leading exporters of cashew nuts. Regaining this position could contribute significantly to curbing poverty in rural areas that produce the nuts.
“The work ANSAF is doing to give smallholder farmers a seat at the policy table and to use the cashew industry as a model for finding the right solutions to increasing agricultural productivity and finding markets for that produce, holds enormous promise for the economy of Tanzania.
“We’re proud to partner with them and with our board member Howard Buffett, who has dedicated much of his life to agriculture development and funds this special award,” said ONE Africa Chief Executive Officer, Michael Elliott.
Speaking at the ceremony, musician and activist, Bono described the information revolution taking place in Ethiopia and around the world, and how it is empowering civil society organisations to hold governments to account.
“The quality of governance depends on the quality of civil society,” he said. “And the quality of civil society depends on the quality, the accuracy, and the relevance of information,” Bono added.
Written by SUNDAY NEWS
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