WAOM berates Morocco over Africans travel restrictions - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

The West African Observatory on Migrations (WAOM), has berated Morocco for joining the European Union (EU) against African migration, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Morocco, NaijaAgroNet gathered is a North African country bordering the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.

As said by WAOM, the travel restrictions for Malians, Guineans and Congolese wishing to travel to Morocco, is disheartening.

A press statement from International conference on environmental migration in West Africa made available to NaijaAgroNet, said "Far from appearing as an experiment as presented by the Morocco kingdom, this measure is a real step backward as it removes from the citizens of these countries the possibility that they had until then to travel without a visa to Morocco. A few weeks before the international conference to adopt the Global Compact on Migration in Marrakesh, the Moroccan decision shocks deeply because it goes against the will reaffirmed by the African Union to move towards the free movement of Africans on their continent.

"The dream of an African Schengen area, where citizens can travel without any visa or travel authorization requirement, seems to be called into question by the Kingdom of Morocco, which is nevertheless presented as the ” Leader ” for migration by the African Union. After returning to Africa Union, in January 2017, Morocco was given the responsibility by its African peers to propose the broad outlines of a migration policy for the African Union. In the wake of its reconquest of the continent, the Moroccan kingdom had then manifested its candidacy to join the Economic Community of States of West Africa (ECOWAS), which advocates a free movement for the citizens of its community. The glimmers of hope thus sent by Morocco seem to be buried in the face of pressure from the European Union, which is constantly reinforcing the role of the countries of North Africa and the Sahel as gendarmes of its policy against the immigration of Africans.

"This Moroccan decision, contrary to African interests, can only be understood in its perspective of pleasing the European institutions. Indeed, the European Union has just opened a series of negotiations with some African countries to demand that they repatriate their “undocumented” citizens residing in Europe on pain of having their Schengen visa restricted for their nationals wishing to travel legally to European countries. 

Morocco seems miraculously not threatened by this blackmail from the European Union despite recent events that saw Moroccan citizens trying to illegally gain Europe. It seems more than ever necessary for African civil society, as a whole, to raise its voice against the dictates of the European Union, which under the guise of development aid, weaken African integration and prevent Africans from traveling without visa in the same way as the citizens of the European Union. The West African Observatory on Migrations is appealing to all citizens of African countries to advocate on their States not to accept measures that undermine our mobility rights on our African soil and destroy our will to live a real fraternity life as sons and daughters of the same continent.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

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Agriculture on high agenda @22nd COP in Morocco

NaijaAgroNet:

Agriculture will be high on the agenda at the forthcoming 22nd Conference of the Parties (COP) slated for Morocco starting November 7, 2016, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Revealing this position, the Director-General, FAO, José Graziano da Silva, said in Rome that the year 2016 seems to be a year of commitment, therefore deserves to have more action than ever before.

"2016 should be about putting commitments into action," he said, noting the international community last year agreed to the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris climate agreement, about to come into force.

“Agriculture will be high on the agenda at the 22nd Conference of the Parties in Morocco starting  November 7,” he declared.

The FAO report underscores that success in transforming food and agriculture systems will largely depend on urgently supporting smallholders in adapting to climate change.

Developing countries are home to around half a billion smallholder farm families who produce food and other agricultural products in greatly varying agro-ecological and socio-economic conditions. Solutions have to be tailored to those conditions; there is no one-size-fits-all fix.

The FAO report describes alternative, economically viable ways of helping smallholders to adapt and making the livelihoods of rural populations — often the most exposed to the downside risks of climate change - more resilient.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

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Over 1200 Stakeholders gather in Morocco for worldwide 3rd symphos

NaijaAgroNet:

A group of phosphate industry professionals, OCP Group, has assembled over 1,200 stakeholders in the city of Morocco for the third worldwide International Symposium on Innovation and Technology in the Phosphate Industry (Symphos) from Monday, 18th to 20th of May 2015 in Marrakesh, with the theme “Innovation to serve sustainable agriculture” reports NaijaAgroNet.

Participants, NaijaAgroNet reports are from all corners of the world, representing over 45 countries. 

The Symphos 2015 is a forum for meetings and discussions between the major international players in the phosphate and phosphate derivatives industry, and will build on the previous events, with greater focus on innovation to serve sustainable agriculture. In particular, this year’s event will cover themes regarding industrial processes, elements of value, fertilizers of the future and slow & controlled releases.

The African Press Organization in a press statement on behalf of OCP, noted that the event has become an international benchmark in the sector, offering a forum that promotes diversification, modernisation and development of the phosphate industry and support for the development needs of worldwide agriculture.

Aware that innovation is the primary tool for rational and sustainable exploitation of phosphate reserves, OCP Group uses Symphos to highlight its commitment to sustainable and prosperous agriculture throughout the world. By bringing together the global phosphate community to share expertise, skills and experiences, Symphos aims at contributing to the emergence of the ideas of tomorrow, and taking up the major challenge of soil and resource conservation for sustainable agriculture.


@Isaac Oyimah
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Brazil to help Africa on food production

NaijaAgroNet.

The North Africa Authorities and Brazilian government have entered a discourse on collaborative measures in the production of food in Africa, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The partnership was focus of the Brazil and North Africa – Opportunities in Agribusiness and Food Security seminar organized by the Brazil-Africa Institute with backing from the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce which took place at the headquarters of the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo, Brazil, recently.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the event was attended by dignitaries from African countries like Tunisia, Sudan, Mauritania, Morocco, Egypt, and, the Brazilian government officials, and executives from Brazilian enterprises that operate on the African continent.

Undersecretary General for Cooperation, Culture and Trade Promotion at Brazil’s Ministry of External Relations, Hadil Fontes da Rocha Vianna, gave some business analysis between Brazil and North Africa countries, pointing out the need to strengthen the relationship.

“Our trade with the [North African] sub-region countries is growing constantly, having gone from US$ 7.8 billion in 2010 to US$ 9.1 billion in 2014. For agriculture, over the same time frame, sales increased by 18.5%. In effect, at this time, over 70% of exports from Brazil to North Africa consist of agricultural products,” he revealed.

ChidozieAnibueze/GEE

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