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KIGALI, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- African governments should go beyond talk of the potentials Africa has and implement strategies needed to move agriculture forward, officials said here on Wednesday.

Speaking at the opening of African Green Revolution Forum in the Rwandan capital Kigali, Rwanda's Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Gerardine Mukeshimana, said by accelerating the transformation of agriculture in Africa together, countries can drive better livelihoods of the people, and prosperity of the continent.

The meeting is meant to seek practical actions and share lessons that can move African agriculture forward.

"Though we're facing the climate change challenges, we have accumulated more evidence and data, and we have greater tools and means so we can go faster. And purposely, we make African agriculture beyond just guaranteeing food security and nutrition to the farming community," Mukeshimana said.

She reminded the audience that the sector has to create jobs for young and growing population across value chains.

"It is set to drive the continental and international trades, it is set to be a trillion dollar business by 2030 if we do our job right, generate wealth for our communities and nations," she added.

Speaking at the forum, Rwanda's Prime Minister, Edouard Ngirente observed that despite enormous potential for agricultural production on the continent, Africa still lags behind in terms of agriculture production.

"Challenges include limited use of modern agro-inputs, limited access to finance, weak access to market, limited mechanization," he said.

He said that taking Africa's agriculture to next level will require among others, strong measures to translate existing strategies into tangible actions.

Taking place on September 5-8, the African Green Revolution Forum is to take stock, evaluate actions, and learn from compelling evidence across the continent, according to Rwanda's ministry of agriculture.

It is also looking at how Africa can meet its development goals by tapping into the full potential of its smallholder farmers and the agribusiness sector.

The meeting attracted about 2,000 delegates from across the continent and beyond.

Now in its 7th edition, the forum is arguably the world's most important and impactful forum for African agriculture.

The forum rotates annually to new host countries with themes crafted to highlight a key area of focus in driving progress.