The Secretary General of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Wamkele Mene, has lamented the importation of $50 billion worth of food into the African continent in the year 2020 alone is unfortunate development that must be check.
According to him, this phenomenon is disturbing, since Africa has over 60 percent of arable land that can produce enough to feed its population and even export, but the reverse persists.
He therefore urges Ministers of Trade on the continent to produce a trade policy that will curtail the incessant importation of food products and instead focus on intra-African trade of such products to boost the continental economy.
He made these comments at the ongoing 13th Ghana Economic Forum 2024, which is themed “Unlocking Opportunities: Re-Engineering Ghana’s Economic Model for Sustainable Development”, in Accra.
H said” our continent regrettable is a net food importer grains, rice, maize meal among others are all imported around the world. And yet we correctly say that Africa has about 60% arable lands for agriculture. But we are a net food importer’’ he questioned.
He further said, the challenge is upon the African leaders particularly minister of trade to introduce trade policy tools that will enable the content of Africa not be a net food importer but will rely on it’s abundant land for food crop production to check the development.
He said the arable lands African if properly used to halt importation of food from other continent that will also check depreciation of our local currency against the westen dollars among other western currencies.
“ I want to see African country trading among ourselves by importing food from Zambia, Bukina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria among others and milk fron Uganda’’ he pleaded.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
