The federal republic of Somalia was admitted to the bloc. -Update 19.05.2023 Hamza Kyeyune
KAMPALA, Uganda . The group of 14 African countries on Friday committed to new collective targets to promote agricultural productivity and prioritize coordinated action to ensure food security in Eastern and Central Africa.
Meeting in Kampala from May 17 to 19, Africa agriculture ministers under the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), a forum to coordinating stakeholders in the agricultural sector, reaffirmed their commitment to building resilient food systems to avert food crisis in the region.
The ministers note that there is growing demand for food in different parts of the continent due to multiple and overlapping shocks including climate change, protracted conflicts in different countries, excessive dependence on imports of basic commodities such as fertilizers among others. One in five Africans were already facing hunger in 2021, according to data from the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
“We are gathering here in Kampala because we need to act with urgency in responding to the unfolding food crisis in Africa, to avert humanitarian suffering. Our gathering focuses on finding initiatives that build resilient food systems to feed Africa for generations” Dr. Enock Warinda, the Executive Director for the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), a sub-regional association bringing together stakeholders in the agricultural sector, in Eastern and Central Africa, told Anadolu.
He added that mobilizing private sector investments for commercialization of research technologies, farmer empowerment, are among the priority plan of action.
The Executive Director for ASARECA said that the federal republic of Somalia applied formally to join the block and having met all the requirements, it was admitted to the bloc.
According to World Food Program, some 22 million people across Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya face high levels of acute food insecurity due solely to the drought, a number projected to rise if the rains fail.
Honorable Ahmed Mathobe, the minister of Agriculture and irrigation for the federal republic of Somalia told Anadolu that he is delighted his country became a member of the regional association. He added that due to the historic dry spell affecting large swarths of Somalia, the federal government is looking for alternative ways of life and making a living, which requires integrated and multidimensional approach to mitigate the impact of climate change.
Other members include Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan Tanzania, and Uganda.
