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Africa Must Prepare for the Inevitability of a Global Food Crisis
AFDB President, Akinwumi Adesina Warns
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WASHINGTON D.C., United States of America, April 24, 2022/ - The President of the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org ), Akinwumi Adesina, warns: "Africa must prepare for the inevitability of a global food crisis. "He was speaking on Africa's priorities as a guest of the Atlantic Council's Africa Center on Friday.
Responding to questions from the President of the Africa Center, Ambassador Rama Yade, Aubrey Hruby, senior member of the center, and Julian Pecquet, Washington and United Nations correspondent for Young Africa and The Africa Report, the President of the Bank called for a strong awareness of the urgency in the face of what he described as an exceptional convergence of global challenges for Africa, occurring only once a century.
Adesina said the continent’s most vulnerable countries had been hit hardest by conflict, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, which had upended economic and development progress in Africa.
He said Africa, with the lowest gross domestic product (GDP) growth rates, had lost as many as 30 million jobs on account of the pandemic. Speaking about the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war, Adesina expressed sympathy for the people of Ukraine, describing their suffering as unimaginable. He said the war’s ramifications spread far beyond Ukraine to other parts of the world, including Africa.
Adesina said the continent’s most vulnerable countries had been hit hardest by conflict, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, which had upended economic and development progress in Africa.
He said Africa, with the lowest gross domestic product (GDP) growth rates, had lost as many as 30 million jobs on account of the pandemic. Speaking about the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war, Adesina expressed sympathy for the people of Ukraine, describing their suffering as unimaginable. He said the war’s ramifications spread far beyond Ukraine to other parts of the world, including Africa.
Adesina warned that the tripling of the cost of fertilizers, soaring energy prices and the explosion in the price of the housewife's basket could worsen in Africa in the coming months. He noted that 90% of Russia's $4 billion in exports to Africa in 2020 consisted of wheat; and that 48% of Ukraine's roughly $3 billion in exports to the continent consisted of wheat and 31% of corn.
Adesina stressed that to avoid a food crisis, Africa must rapidly increase its food production. "The African Development Bank is already working to mitigate the effects of this food crisis through the African Food Crisis Response and Emergency Facility, a specific mechanism that the Bank intends to set up to provide African countries with the resources they need to increase local food production and procure fertilizers," he revealed.
Source:
Intelligence Fusion (Intel & data service provider for AFSData Research & Analysis International)
Contributor, Decky Touré
Adesina stressed that to avoid a food crisis, Africa must rapidly increase its food production. "The African Development Bank is already working to mitigate the effects of this food crisis through the African Food Crisis Response and Emergency Facility, a specific mechanism that the Bank intends to set up to provide African countries with the resources they need to increase local food production and procure fertilizers," he revealed.
Source:
Intelligence Fusion (Intel & data service provider for AFSData Research & Analysis International)
Contributor, Decky Touré
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