[Meknes, Morocco – April 23, 2025 ]– Agriculture Minister  Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah has participated in the 5th Ministerial Conference of the African Agriculture Adaptation Initiative (AAA) taking place in Meknes, Morocco, under the theme: “Agroforestry and Climate Resilience: An African Vision for Food Security and Sustainable Development.”

The conference, held on the margins of the International Agricultural Show in Morocco (SIAM), has brought together African Ministers of Agriculture, representatives from international and regional organizations, technical and financial partners, and agroforestry experts across the continent.

The AAA Initiative, launched by the Moroccan government in 2016, is a Pan-African effort to strengthen the resilience of the continent’s agricultural systems to climate change. With 38 African countries on board, the initiative is rapidly gaining ground as a platform for scientific collaboration, investment mobilization, and policy advocacy.

In his opening remarks, H.E. Ahmed El Bouari, President of the AAA Initiative Foundation and Moroccan Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, and Water and Forests, underscored the urgent need for climate action. He warned that “without strong action, Africa risks losing up to 25% of its agricultural production by 2050,” emphasizing the urgent necessity for prompt and collective measures to tackle climate change.

In his address to the conference, Dr. Nuetah emphasized the importance of aligning climate finance mechanisms with national agricultural priorities. He urged international partners to support Liberia’s efforts to rehabilitate degraded and secondary forestlands through sustainable fruit crop farming, which would improve farmer incomes and contribute to soil regeneration and water conservation.

“We expect global climate financing mechanisms to support our National Agriculture Development Plan,” Minister Nuetah stated. These efforts will help our farmers achieve sustainable livelihoods while contributing to global climate goals,” he said.
He also highlighted the dual pressures facing African agriculture: the worsening impacts of climate change and increasingly restrictive global trade policies. He raised concerns over the EU Deforestation Regulation, noting its potential implications for Liberian smallholder farmers who depend on forest resources for subsistence.

“For Liberia, a West African country still home to about 43% of the Upper Guinea Forest, smallholders depend on the forest for income and livelihood support,” Minister Nuetah stated. “However, the emerging EU Deforestation Regulation poses challenges to the current livelihood sources of most of these smallholders engaged in subsistence farming.”

The conference concluded with a strong ministerial declaration prioritizing urgent climate action, support for smallholder farmers—especially women and youth—and enhanced international cooperation. African ministers pledged to ensure that agriculture and food systems are central to discussions at COP30 in Brazil later this year.
Dr. Nuetah’s participation at the conference reaffirmed Liberia’s commitment to sustainable agriculture, regional collaboration, and climate resilience. His engagement underscores Liberia’s active role in shaping continental strategies to ensure food security and environmental sustainability in the face of growing global challenges.