Former UN Secretary
General, Kofi Annan, says investment in farmers and fisher folk in Africa could
be a game changer for the Continent, as far as food sufficiency and poverty
reduction are concerned.
He is befuddled by the
Continent’s colossal appetite for, and spending on food imports, when, in his
view, that money could be channelled into investing in local farmers and fisher
folk for greater and lasting impact.
“A statistic to pause and
make you think: Africa spends roughly US$35 billion a year on food imports.
Could you imagine if this money or a substantial portion of it went to African
farmers and the fishing communities instead of foreign businesses?” Annan
wondered.
“Could you imagine what
impact this would have on the lives of those who toil on our farms day in and
day out, out there alone, often with very little help from the government or
the society?”
Annan, who is championing
a green revolution in Africa, said: “Four out of five Africans depend on
farming and related activities to provide for their families”.
He believes funnelling
enough capital into local farming in Africa is the key to unlocking the poverty
shackles of many an African.
“At the Kofi Annan
Foundation, we believe that smart investments benefiting smallholder farming
have the potential to lift millions out of poverty and hunger”, he wrote on his
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