Globally recognized
entrepreneur and founder of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Dr Mohamed Ibrahim, at
the weekend delivered the annual lecture for the International
Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), canvassing for the creation of
opportunities for African youngsters in agriculture, reports NaijaAgroNet.
Dr. Ibrahim who
spoke in Rome, took African governments to task for not living up to their
commitments to invest in agriculture and rural development, stressing that its
essential that they create opportunities for young people in agriculture so
that they are able to resist the dangerous call of extremism.
“No jobs, no hope,” he said, adding
that Africa has more hungry, malnourished people than anywhere else in the
world. “We are by far the least productive region in the agriculture sector but
because we have more uncultivated, arable land than anywhere else, it presents
opportunities.”
NaijaAgroNet equally gathered that a
private-sector panel which included Sunny Verghese, Co-founder and Group CEO
of Olam International, highlighted the need for bold initiatives to better
link smallholder farmers to markets. Panel participants emphasized that
everyone – government, the private sector, financing institutions such as IFAD,
small- and medium-sized enterprises and smallholders farmers – have a role to
play.
While the second panel discussion,
facilitated by IFAD Associate Vice President Périn Saint Ange, focused on
innovative agricultural solutions to many of the global challenges discussed
over the two days, including IFAD investments in farming technologies,
approaches to empower women and youth, and the use of new technology to enhance
rural development project design and management.
Dr Ismahane Elouafi, Director General of the International
Centre for Biosaline Agriculture, told correspondent that the world is at a
crossroad in terms of its overuse of natural resources, and that the Middle
East and North Africa region already has some of the highest water scarcity in
the world.
"Climate change impacts the
poor and marginalized most of all,” she said, underlining that they have huge challenges ahead,
and there is need to act now.
NaijaAgroNet further gathered that
some of the outcomes from the Farmers’ Forum, a two-day meeting held in
conjunction with IFAD’s Governing Council, organizers announced a plan to make
the platform for dialogue more inclusive, inviting pastoralists and livestock
breeders to take part, and more decentralized creating stronger links to
smallholders and family farmers on the ground.
+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) +Naija AgroNet
... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology
Pix: Mo Ibrahim
