The 29th session of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Regional Conference for Africa will meet under the theme ‘Transforming African agri-food systems for inclusive growth and a shared prosperity'. Ministers and other government officials, representatives of civil society organizations in Africa and the media are expected to attend the conference, which is being jointly hosted by the Government of Côte d'Ivoire and FAO. The conference will hold an experts' meeting from 4-6 April, focusing on: regional and global policy and regulatory issues, particularly public-private partnerships for inclusive growth; and trends and issues in food and agriculture for regional and national action in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The conference will also address issues related to, inter alia, the budget, regional initiatives, the decentralization process and the multi-year work programme. Thematic side events will take place on 6 April, addressing: successes in nuclear applications; an action programme on food and nutrition challenges in small island developing States; and follow-up to the 2006 Abuja Declaration on Fertilizers for an African Green Revolution. A ministerial plenary session will convene on 7 April and a ministerial round-table will take place on 8 April to discuss ‘Strengthening national and regional capacities to effectively implement commitments and increase investments made at the national and continental levels for the eradication of hunger and the transformation of food systems in Africa for inclusive growth and shared prosperity' and ‘Advocacy and mobilizing for the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund.' FAO regional conferences are held in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Near East and North Africa, and are convened on a biennial basis to discuss priority issues for agriculture and rural development.  

dates: 4-8 April 2016  
venue: Sofitel Abidjan Hotel Ivoire  
location: Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire  
contact: Kwami Dzifanu Nyarko-Badohu, Secretary of the Conference  
e-mail: KwamiDzifanu.NyarkoBadohu@fao.org  
www: http://www.fao.org/about/meetings/arc29/en/
 http://www.fao.org/3/a-mp582e.pdf