Brussels, 10/11/2010 (Agence Europe) - If the EU, the largest provider of public development aid, wants to help towards sustainable development in Africa and not be outdone by the emerging countries falling over each other to invest in the continent, it must not neglect its responsibilities to create agricultural partnerships with Africa. These partnerships should go well beyond food security alone, targeting nutritional security and rural development as well, in countries where agriculture has seen a growth rate of 3%.
A few weeks ahead of the third EU-Africa summit (29-30 November, Libya), the report by the Montpellier Panel, entitled “Africa and Europe: Partnerships for Agricultural Development”, is a plea for the European donors to step up their commitments with coordinated support and investment plans for the institutions, and initiatives reflecting the priorities of the African Union. Twenty-two African countries are participating in Cadep (the agricultural bank created by the African heads of state and government in Nepad, the New Partnership for Africa's Development).
“For the first time in two generations, Africa has a real chance of guaranteeing its food security by agricultural development. This also provides Europe with the opportunity to play a unique and significant role as a partner of the African nations to achieve this objective”, states this report, which was drawn up by a panel of European and African experts. It was presented in Brussels on 10 November by its president, Gordon Conway (Imperial College London), in the headquarters of the European Commission.
“We need an approach which is not based on food security alone, but on the agricultural potential of Africa”, he explained. The report recommends that Europe maintain the head of steam created by its major funding (of the 60% of global public aid it provides, $800 million a year are earmarked for agricultural development in sub Saharan Africa), reduce price volatility, invest in cereal reserves, tackle chronic hunger, particularly in children, promote research into appropriate technologies, which has a considerable return on investment, and concentrate on climate change and agriculture.
Luis Riera Gigueras, Development Director at the Commission, welcomed the fact that many of the recommendations made are “in line with the communication on food security and nutrition which the Commission adopted in September, before the UN summit on the MDGs”. (A.N./transl.fl.)