Addis Ababa - The African Union (AU) Commission has called on the rival sides in the South Sudan conflict to end the fighting.
Speaking at a news conference at the AU Commission headquarters on Thursday in conjunction with the African Agriculture Ministers Meeting, the Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, said the continued conflict in South Sudan would impact negatively on the food security in the country and the region.
Tumusiime warned that the continued fighting was impeding agricultural activity, a matter which ought to be resolved as the planting season begins after the country has been ravaged by five months of war and killings.
“At the African Union, we will do our best, but the honour is on all of us to see that there is a lasting solution to the conflict in the South Sudan."
She said the AU was embarking on Agenda 2063 which aims to see an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa that is driven by its own citizens. “We want to see Africa playing a major role in the global agri-food economy,” added Tumusiime.
She called for capacity-building in centres of excellence of science, technology and innovation systems so as to make Africa rise to the aspirations as the growing economy that can feed itself and at the same time feed the world.
Tumusiime also called for measures through which member states can allow women and the youth to participate fully in the agricultural economy by allowing them into the factors of production, including land.
AU Deputy Chairperson Erastus Mwencha said agriculture remained the most important occupation on the continent “since it is the predominant sector within the economies, its performance will be consequential for any sustainable economic growth to take place”.
He noted that with the dependence of majority of the people on agriculture directly or indirectly for their livelihoods, “any attempt to improve the conditions of life and work must address the challenges of agricultural growth and transformation”.
Ethiopia’s State Minister for Agriculture Ato Sileshi Getahun called for building of infrastructure that can allow easy movement of agricultural produce from the source to the markets.
“We did our best in improving productivity, now we have a bumper harvest but are lacking a market for our produce. Our main problem is the return on investment which is falling far below the production ratio,” said Getahun. – SAnews.gov.za-NNN-KBC
