Food importation is posing danger to Africa

Despite agriculture employing more than 80 per cent of the African population, the continent generates only 10 per cent of global agricultural output. Another shocking reality is that Africa still spends $35 billion a year on importing food, despite having a quarter of the world’s arable land, according to latest findings from the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Kanayo F. Nwanze, president of IFAD, said the money Africa spends on food imports would have been used to create more and improved jobs in agriculture. Nwanze, who is expected to be part of the ongoing sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), in Nairobi, Kenya, is expected to tell African leaders that the potential for prosperity on the continent is enormous, but investments need to be redirected to developing the agricultural sector. Nwanze noted that African leaders are failing their people by their weak investments in agricultural inputs and infrastructure, and their lack of policy support for the sector,and if a portion of the money used for food imports was spent on creating jobs in rural areas, not only would the world’s largest youth population see a viable future on the continent, but Africa would be able to feed itself. The purpose of TICAD is to promote high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and partners, with a focus on African-led development. Although Africa is the world’s second fastest growing economic region, more than 300 million Africans live below the poverty line. Most live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Unemployment rates are close to 40 per cent. “Economic growth alone is not enough. If we want a continent with food security and social stability, we have to ensure that development focuses on people. They do not want handouts. They want economic opportunities,” said Nwanze.more