SABI Magazine Volume 9 Issue 3 | Page 6

African agriculture

African agriculture

The joy of irrigating on the great continent by Carol Posthumus

A lot

The crowd at Davos in Switzerland at the annual World Economic Forum discussed the invigorating topic of farms in Africa , perhaps making a change to discussing populism and Brexit in the Northern hemisphere . It was observed at Davos that agriculture could be boosted by improving access to electricity and improved Internet connectivity .
of attention and hope is focussed right now on Africa ’ s agricultural sector ’ s future .
The news is consistently peppered with huge investments in African agriculture . Reportedly Africa ’ s richest man , Aliko Dangote , recently invested a mammoth $ 1 billion in rice production on the continent .
Apparently , many hectares of arable land are being consistently bought up by foreign interests across Africa . Foreign Direct Investment in agribusiness was $ 10 billion in 2010 and is projected to reach $ 45 billion by 2020 .
The new United Nations Secretary- General Antonio Guterres recently said : “ Far too often , the world views Africa through the prism of problems . When I look to Africa , I see a continent of hope , promise and vast potential . I am committed to building on those strengths and establishing a higher platform of cooperation between the United Nations and the leaders and people of Africa .
Gordon Vermaak , director of Inyoni Africa .
This is essential to advancing inclusive and sustainable development and deepening cooperation for peace and security .” Guterres said the world has a lot to learn from African wisdom , ideas and solutions .
To our credit as a continent , Guterres said Africa provides the majority of United Nations peacekeepers around the world . Also a little known fact is that African nations are among the world ’ s largest and most generous hosts of refugees . Furthermore he noted that Africa includes some of the world ’ s fastest growing economies .
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SABI | FEBRUARY / MARCH 2017