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African Development Bank President Donald
Kaberuka capped a visit to Washington with a landmark meeting at the Group of
Eight (G8) Summit on Saturday.
The special session focused on agriculture
policy in Africa, and in particular, a fresh initiative called the New Alliance
for Food Security and Nutrition.
The meeting was hosted by U.S. President
Barack Obama at Camp David near Washington, where this year's G8 Summit of the
world's largest economies took place.
Participants included the G8 leaders, four
African heads of state and executives from the private sector.
"With so much for the G8 leaders to
discuss," said AfDB President Kaberuka, "I commend President Obama
for putting agriculture investment in Africa on the agenda."
One of the main objectives of the new
initiative is to encourage the private sector to invest more in the continent's
agriculture sector.
Indeed President Obama has announced that
more than $3 billion has already been pledged in private sector investments.
African and G8 governments will also commit funds to spur growth.
"This is a win-win proposition,"
said Kaberuka. "A prosperous, growing Africa is good for the global
economy."
He went on to say: "This is a collective
endeavour involving governments, the private sector and public investment to
spur economic growth on the continent. The African Development Bank is ready to
play its part by ensuring conditions such as reliable infrastructure are in
place."
In a statement released on the eve of the
Camp David meeting, the White House said that it would work with the people and
leaders of Africa to "Increase responsible domestic and foreign private
investments in African agriculture, take innovations that can enhance
agricultural productivity to scale, and reduce the risk borne by vulnerable
economies and communities."
The White House statement went on to welcome
the support of the African Development Bank and other development agencies.
In the last few days there has been an
intense focus on ways to encourage greater innovation and private sector
investment in the agriculture sector across Africa.
The New Alliance for Food Security and
Nutrition was launched at a symposium in Washington on Friday, bringing
hundreds of individuals and organizations together to discuss the way forward.
In a nod to the high-level support for the
initiative, speakers at the symposium included President Obama, U.S. Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton, the leaders of Benin, Ethiopia, Ghana and Tanzania,
and AfDB President, Donald Kaberuka.
They spoke about the opportunities that exist
in Africa and the yields that greater agricultural output could bring, not just
in the food sector.
"This is not only a moral imperative,
but an economic and security imperative as well," said President Obama.
He added that the overall goal is to bring 50
million people out of poverty. This, he said, would improve lives, economies
and security around the world.
AfDB President Kaberuka told the audience
that although African agriculture has underperformed for many years, that's
beginning to change as many governments put market policies and conditions in
place."
Through improved infrastructure, transportation
and trade, Africa can make significant headway, he said.
The African Development Bank Group's mission
is to help reduce poverty, improve living conditions for Africans and mobilize
resources for the continent's economic and social development.
Current and future projects and priorities
will be discussed at the organization's Annual Meetings in Arusha, Tanzania
from May 28th to June 1st.
The theme of the meetings will be
"Africa and the Emerging Global Landscape: Challenges and
Opportunities."
Contacts
Magatte Wade
Original Article Here
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