The President of Angola, João Lourenço, has stressed that African states are ‘falling far short’ of the commitments made in the Malabo Declaration, the document signed by African heads of government in 2014 to boost agricultural production and guarantee food security.
Lourenço also called on countries to make agriculture a priority. ‘We must place agriculture among the most important priorities of each of our nations, because it is the basis for the development of our economies, food security and the path to inclusive growth,’ he emphasised.
According to João Lourenço, achieving this goal requires African countries to fulfil the commitments made in the Malabo Declaration, which provides for 10 percent of national budgets to be allocated to the agricultural sector.
The Angolan leader also stressed the need to approve a Strategy and Action Plan for the Integrated Programme for the Development of Agriculture in Africa for the next ten years (2026-2035). Lourenço asked the African Union to provide the necessary tools to implement the plan.
Angola will take over the rotating presidency of the African Union for a year in February.
During his speech, the President recalled the importance of attracting investment to the sector, saying that it was ‘vitally important’ to mechanise agriculture, improve infrastructure, certify seeds and develop the irrigation system, in order to improve export capacity and guarantee self-sufficiency and food security on the continent.
The Angolan head of state was speaking this Saturday, the 11th, at the extraordinary session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, dedicated to the development of agriculture in Africa. The leaders are meeting in Kampala, Uganda.
Voa