DRC surpasses 10% COVID-19 vaccination milestone - NaijaAgroNet

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The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has crossed the 10 per cent primary series COVID-19 vaccine coverage milestone, a significant achievement in a populous country where coverage one year ago stood at below 1%, and where the health system is handling multiple priorities including Ebola, cholera and measles.

In January 2022, DRC was one of the 34 COVAX AMC-supported countries whose coverage stood below 10%. Today, with concerted support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, UNICEF and WHO through the COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Partnership, only 6 countries remain below 10% - with Cameroon, Mali and Gabon amongst the latest to cross this milestone.

Allocate 10% of budget to agric research- CASON

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The Coordinator, Agribusiness and Youths Empowerment of Community of Agricultural Stakeholders of Nigeria (CASON), Mr Sotonye Anga has called on the Federal Government to devote 10 per cent of the national budget to boost the capacity of research institutes towards the development of the agriculture sector, NaijaAgroNet reports.

Anga gave the charge at the presentation of his paper titled “New Path to Wealth: Micro and Small Scale Food Processing in Africa,” at the 29th Omolayole management lecture series in Lagos and stressed that government need to spend money in the sector in order to allow it add value to the lives of the people.

“I am worried how far our agriculture can go with budget allocation of less than three per cent of national budget allotted to agriculture. Let me state clearly that it will not be out of place to give at least 10 percent of our national budget beginning with 2014 to agriculture and maintain this trend for the next 10 years. This is the way to go if we are serious about accelerating development in the sector,” he said.

He called for more efforts to ensure that lending to the agricultural sector is on a single digit interest rate and said that “you will kill our farmers when you lend to them at 26 percent per annum.”

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pix:President Goodluck Jonathan

10% public investments in agriculture still low – CAADP official

The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) has said that the current public investments of 10 per cent in agriculture, across Africa’s national budgets remain small.

This is coming as agriculture is reportedly back on the political-policy agenda across the continent, although the 10 per cent budget allocation to agriculture remains inadequate.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that CAADP's goal is to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty through agriculture and as a way of achieving this goal, African governments agreed to increase public investment in agriculture by a minimum of 10 per cent of their national budgets and to raise agricultural productivity by at least 6 per cent by the year 2015.

Speaking, however, in Addis Ababa recently, the Head, NEPAD Mr. Martin Bwalya, told a high-level session of African leaders and International partners, that the 10 per cent national budget allocation to agriculture is still very low, despite “Agriculture is back to the political-policy agenda.”

Also, he said, that as ways of aadvancing CAADP implementation strategies in the last 10 years there are some key results that have impacted on the initiative, namely that 43 out of 54 countries are actively engaged in the process.

Additionally, he said that 28 investment plans have been developed so far with 27 business meetings held while 31 countries seemed compacted to the scheme.

Proffering further sustainable modules, he said that spotlights on the social protection integral to a growth and development agenda are no longer negotiable, just as cconsistent and coherent African vision, agenda and positions could serve as a boost to democratic governments and improved public finances-revenue, thereby seeing to improved planning for CAADP.

Urbanization across Africa is expected to grow to 50 per cent by 2013, while youthful population, that is 40 per cent for ages under 23 years, even as globalisation based on food and energy prices as well as climate change must be tackled to make a difference.

Further, he pointed out that growing political commitment to increased budgetary allocations was another boost for CAADP initiative, emphasising that regional integration and coordination based on evidence-based and peer-reviewed agricultural plans and programmes would go a long way in checkmating the food insecurity in Africa.

“Poverty, hunger and malnutrition are one of the most critical factors pulling down Africa socio-economic growth and development,” he observed.

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