Director-General/Executive Director
Your Excellency Minister Karoline Edtstadler,
Minister for the EU and Constitution of the Republic of Austria,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am very happy to be here with you today for the Kofi Annan Award for Innovation in Africa, an award that stands for many things that are deeply relevant today, as well as many things that are dear to my heart.
This award carries the name of a man who inspired people around the world, myself among them.
Earlier in my career, when I was a junior staff member of the United Nations, I had the honour of meeting Kofi Annan when he visited the UNDP Cairo office.
I was struck by his sincerity, his optimism, and his dedication to creating solutions by empowering people.
All of these values are strongly represented here today.
This wonderful initiative by the Austrian government is about building bridges between Europe and Africa, to the benefit of both.
Investing in Africa’s bright minds can pay dividends not just for the African continent, but for Austria, for Europe, and for the world.
I am also very glad to see this award focus on innovation, as I believe that innovation is the key to unlocking Africa’s riches, for Africans and for the world.
Our world is being transformed by conflict, climate change, economic and political turbulence, and rapid technological advancement, and innovation is the only way to keep pace.
And last, but not least, this award speaks to me as a proud citizen of Africa, and a strong believer in its potential.
Africa is the youngest continent in the world. It is also estimated to have the world’s highest rates of entrepreneurship.
Africa is the future.
And as we get ready for the Summit of the Future that will take place in New York, we need to empower Africa’s people to achieve the SDGs, and to overcome the challenges they face.
Food security is at the forefront of those challenges.
From Sudan to Burkina Faso and from Somalia to Mali, crises are ravaging African communities and leaving people hungry.
Yet Africa is home to more than 60 per cent of the world’s remaining uncultivated arable land, and its food economy can be worth 1 trillion dollars by 2030.
The participating ventures in today’s awards are demonstrating Africa’s boundless capacity for innovation to unlock that potential.
I am excited to learn more about their ideas, and even to explore how we can learn from them in our work on alternative development in the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, where we strive to replace illicit drug cultivation with sustainable livelihoods for farmers.
Before closing, I want to echo the wise words of Kofi Annan, who said that a hungry mind is not free, and that to make a difference we should start with the ability to feed ourselves, and the millions of Africans who do not have it.
Congratulations to all the finalists for your inspiring efforts, for an Africa where no one has to go hungry and no one is left behind.
Thank you.
