Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, John Dumelo, is calling for a borderless Africa to facilitate the movement of agricultural produce and boost intra-African trade.
Mr. Dumelo made the call in an interview on the sidelines of the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF), where he held discussions with agriculture ministers, Ghanaian agricultural entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders on ways to strengthen Ghana’s agricultural sector and the continent’s food systems.
Mr. Dumelo noted African countries have different agricultural strengths and resources, making it important for countries to trade more among themselves. “No country is an island. What we have, they may not have, and some of the things they have, we don’t have,” he said.
He said Africa must explore opportunities to move agricultural goods more easily across the continent, including from Ghana to countries such as Rwanda, Liberia and South Africa, and vice versa.
Mr. Dumelo however acknowledged that several bottlenecks continue to hinder intra-African trade. These, he said, include visa restrictions, import and export tariffs, inadequate road infrastructure and other challenges that affect the movement of goods and services.
He called for the expansion of existing trade corridors, including the West African corridor, to create a more integrated African market. “We need to expand that. Let’s have a borderless Africa so movement of goods and services will be eased, and we can trade more with our African partners,” he said.
The Deputy Minister stressed that achieving a borderless Africa would require collaboration beyond the agriculture sector, involving institutions responsible for foreign affairs, infrastructure, health and other areas. He said work had already begun towards addressing some of the challenges restricting intra-Africa agricultural trade, with the goal of making a more integrated African trading system a reality.
More about AFSF
Mr. Dumelo is one of several high-profile dignitaries participating in the 20th edition of the AFSF from September 1–4, at the Kigali Convention Centre in Rwanda. It is being held under the theme “Investing in Africa’s Agri-Food Systems: Nourishing Nations, Growing Jobs, Building Resilience.”
AFSF is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture and food systems, bringing together stakeholders to take practical action and share lessons that will move African food systems forward. Organisers say more than 5,000 stakeholders from over 50 countries are expected to participate. The Forum has placed investment and finance, food security and nutrition, climate resilience, youth and digital innovation, and trade and markets among its key focus areas.
Mr. Dumelo expressed appreciation to AGRA, a key partner of the AFSF, for creating opportunities for leaders from across the world to deliberate on Africa’s food systems. He said government cannot transform Ghana’s food systems sector alone and called for stronger collaboration with development partners to advance agriculture across the continent.
“We cannot do it alone. We need all the development partners on board, so we can work together to make Africa great,” he said.
The Forum also provided an opportunity for young people from Ghana working in the food systems space to engage with the Deputy Minister and discuss issues concerning agriculture and the future of food systems in Africa.
SOURCE: DAILY AGRIC NEWS
