27 Nov 2022

The sector with the greatest potential for industrialisation in Africa is agriculture, says the African Union’s (AU) Ms Josefa Sacko.

Ms Sacko, who is the AU’s commissioner for agriculture, rural development, blue economy and sustainable development, was briefing the media at the end of the AU’s 17th extraordinary summit on industrialisation and economic transformation in Niger on Friday.

Ms Sacko said Africa had the land to cater for any form of agricultural activity and suggested establishment of agro-parks as vehicles for the continent’s economic transformation and industrialisation.

 Africa must also improve trade among its people, she said noting that the fifth commitment of the Malabo Declaration called for the tripling of intra-African trade. 

Ms Sacko said 75 per cent of the trade among African countries was on agricultural products and services.

She decried the fact that Africa imported food and that 35 of the continent’s countries’ annual import bill stood at US$45 billion. 

Ms Sacko said the proposed agro parks would ensure food sovereignty.

“Our political leadership is committed to the realisation of the initiative,” she said adding that the private sector must take the lead in developing the agro parks and producing food for the continent.

Ms Sacko said the development of agro parks would also create employment opportunities for the young generation which constituted 70 per cent of the continent. 

“We must unlock the potential of the youth,” she said.

The AU officials said agro industry zones would be established in the continent’s five regions with each  focusing on a project best suited for the environment. 

The northern region was best suited for horticulture, western part rice, central Africa cassava, southern and eastern regions on livestock and cereals respectively, she said.

Countries such as Botswana, South Africa and Namibia were pastoral and must be the hub of the livestock industry and its value chain, added Ms Sacko.

She said if implemented well, the project would improve regional value chains, facilitate economic integration and agro industrial development.

 Meanwhile, it has emerged that President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi's livestock improvement initiative  is in line with the AU’s agro parks proposal as well as establishment of Southern Africa as a livestock production hub.

President Masisi has been criss-crossing the country donating pedigree bucks, rams and bulls to farmers in an effort to improve both quality and quantity.

In his latest State-of-the-Nation Address, he said the agricultural sector continued to create more opportunities for food security, economic diversification and employment creation.

He told journalists at the end of the Niger  summit that Botswana had a comparative advantage in livestock production and its derivatives. 

President Masisi said on livestock products and related services as well as the sub-sector’s value chain, Botswana was better positioned than most in the world.

He noted that the country had been trading in beef for the longest time and that regulatory mechanisms were well established.

“We are the best in Africa in terms of the derivatives of the livestock sector and we are among the top in terms of livestock management,” said Dr Masisi.

Concurring with Ms Sacko, African Development Bank (ADB) vice president, Ms Hassatou Diop N’sele said Africa had 65 per cent of the world’s uncultivated arable land which  could feed the entire world.

She disclosed ADB’s plans to invest over US$1 billion in the development of special agro-industrial processing zones in 18 countries to help unlock Africa’s potential in food and agriculture.

The bank was also in the process of organising a presidential feed Africa summit to develop an action plan for transforming the continent’s agricultural industry.

ENDS