Ending Hunger by 2025 will require joint contributions- AU

Aug 25, 2016

Heads of State and governments met in Maputo, Mozambique that year and vowed to among other things, end hunger in Africa by 2025. This is what they now call the “Maputo Declaration.”

When Africa came up with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) in 2003, it became the continent's policy framework for agricultural development.

Heads of State and governments met in Maputo, Mozambique that year and vowed to among other things, end hunger in Africa by 2025. This is what they now call the "Maputo Declaration."

Where we stand

While speaking at a meeting for selected Media practitioners and press attaches of the African Union from over 20 countries in Lusaka Zambia last week, the AU's Laila Lokosang said that Africa still has much more to do to end hunger.

"We made some progress in the first decade from 2003 to 2013. It is now upon us to end hunger within this decade, 2015 to 2025," Lokosang said.

Lokosang, who is from the AU Commission's Department for Agriculture and Rural Economy however described this as an uphill task for Africa.

In giving the picture of what Africa has to deal with, Lokosang referred to the current figures that indicate the prevalence of stunting in children under the age of five.

Here, the continent is shown to have seven countries with prevalence below 20% (Low), 17 with prevalence between 20% and 29% (Medium), 19 with prevalence between 30% and 39% (High) and 10 countries exceeding 40% (Very High).

 r alishebo eebelo Dr Nalishebo Meebelo

 

 

We can do better  

Lokosang believes that there is an answer in the Zero Hunger Challenge as coined by UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon.

This challenges calls on countries to develop sustainable food systems from production to consumption, end rural poverty, double small-scale farmers' incomes and productivity, eliminate wastage of food, ensure access to healthy diets all year round and end malnutrition in all its forms.

He says that this, in addition to the CAADP guidelines can get Africa there by 2025.

Involve the private sector more

Through partnership with the AU's New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, Dr Nalishebo Meebelo, a Senior Coordinator at the AU Commission says that African governments need to engage more with the private sector.

"In addition to partnership through Country Cooperation Agreements (CCA's), governments should request the private sector to develop clear letters of intent prior to investing largely in agriculture. These letters should show their clear objectives and understanding of the investment needs of the country. That way we can get results," Meebelo says.

These hints come at a time when the World Bank estimates a high annual rate of urbanisation at 5% to which the Bank attributes the fast increase in demand for food, leaving the content no choice but to increase food production according to Laila Lokosang.

 

 

 

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