President of International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Mr. Kanayo Nwanze, yesterday said Africa spends at least $35 billion a year on food importation. This is contained in a statement issued by IFAD and made available to the newsmen yesterday in Abuja.
The statement quoted Nwanze as making the disclosure at the opening of a three-day African Union-European Union Conference of Ministers of Agriculture, tagged; “Investing in a Food-Secured Future.” He said the conference, which was convened by the Government of The Netherlands, would discuss how to deepen cooperation between Africa and Europe to mutually invest in food and nutrition security.
Nwanze said investing more in Africa’s rural areas will stem the flow of economic migrants and minimise the acts of desperation that makes the continent’s newspaper headlines. “People are leaving the rural areas of Africa because they can’t find jobs or feed their families and the ripple effects are felt here in Europe.
