Agriculture important for Africa's wealth

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Cape Town on Friday, the President said Africa had much potential that needed to be realised if the continent were to become the world's bread basket.

Governments should therefore give more support to small-scale farmers, who produce most of the continent's produce.

Banda further said that these farmers played an important role in realising Gross Domestic Product growth that “critically” plays a role in reducing poverty.

He said partnerships between stakeholders were important because if leaders “do nothing we'll have to face hundreds of millions of people who are hungry”.

“It is worth investing everything we have to make good progress and we can not make good progress unless we address a number of matters... bringing in governments, the private sector and non governmental organisations,” he said.

Former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, agreed that small rural farmers who produce most of Africa's food have minimal resources and little government support.

“In Africa, food security is not a theoretical problem. Almost 300 million Africans go to bed without anything to eat,” said Annan.

Article published courtesy of BuaNews