03 Aug 2017

Vice President, Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi has urged African leaders to increase efforts of achieving sustainable employment opportunities and food security on the continent by transforming the agricultural sector.

Addressing an African Caucus Meeting of Governors of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund on Wednesday in Gaborone, Mr Masisi said transformation of agriculture was important because most people on the continent depended on the sector for survival.

He said the sector could be used to address employment creation and poverty which was a common challenge in Africa.

Furthermore, Mr Masisi said transforming the agricultural sector could help to make Africa a food basket of the world.

He said while over 50 per cent of available land in Africa was suitable for agriculture, the sector was hindered from performing at its full potential by challenges such as drought, diseases, low productivity and lack of appropriate technology.

“I therefore call upon you to explore how best to accelerate growth in the agricultural sector focusing on, among others, increasing the productivity in the sector. Such a strategy will require the development and implementation of sustainable economic growth models,” Mr Masisi said.

He asked the financial sector to make it easier and cheaper to borrow for investment in agriculture. He said engagement between the public, financial and private sectors was required to develop financing to fund the agricultural sector.

“We must demonstrate our commitment to transformation of the agricultural sector by proactively injecting our own resources into it,” he said.

Mr Masisi explained that economic transformation through the agricultural sector could only be achieved within a well-defined and managed macro-economic policy environment.

He said since the agricultural sector remained important to livelihoods of most citizens of Botswana, government had put in place numerous programmes and policies such as Integrated Support

Program for Rainfed Arable Agriculture Development (ISPAAD), Livestock Management and Infrastructure Development Programme (LIMID), and the Policy on National Food Security aimed at enhancing the sector.

He said these development initiatives were aimed at enhancing the lives of the majority of citizens especially those who lived in rural areas.

Mr Masisi also asked the Caucus to look at diversifying African economies which would broaden revenue bases.

“There is an urgent need for economic diversification into other sectors, particularly those that can provide job opportunities to the highly mobile and growing youthful population,” he said.

Chairperson of the African Caucus who is also the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Kenneth Matambo said African Governors met every year to discuss issues of mutual interest and take common positions.

“This forum, that is referred to as the African Caucus, provides a platform on which we can articulate our positions jointly, and guide our development partners on Africa’s key priority areas in our development agenda,” he said. The two-day meeting was held under the theme: Economic Transformation and Jobs Creation: A Focus on Agriculture.

He said it would discuss topics such as agricultural policy foundations, technologies for agricultural development and climate smart agriculture, agricultural value chains and sustainable jobs creation for youth and women, and fiscal policy to support agricultural transformation in Africa.

The African Caucus of Governors of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund was established to provide a forum for the African Governors to coordinate and harmonise their positions in order to effectively safeguard the interests of Africa, and to reap the benefits of membership of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund by advocating for support and resources for the development of their economies.

It was the first time Botswana hosted a meeting of the African Caucus which was established in 1963. ENDS