SPEECH BY AFRICAN UNION COMMISIONER FOR RURAL ECONOMY AND AGRICULTURE, MADAME RHODA TUMUSIIME, AT FANRPAN ANNUAL STAKEHOLDER’S DIALOGUE, LILONGWE, MALAWI, SEPTEMBER 2008. Salutations • YOUR EXCELLENCY, THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF MALAWI, DR. BINGU wa MUTHARIKA • HONOURABLE MINISTERS • MEMBERS OF THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS • PARLIAMENTARIANS AND SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS • GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS FROM THE SOUTHERN AFRICA DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY (SADC) AND THE COMMON MARKET FOR EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA (COMESA) • CHAIRPERSON OF FARNPAN AND COMESA SECRETARY GENERAL MR SINDISO NGWENYA, FARNPAN BOARD MEMBERS • REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR • THE PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS (IFAP), MR. AJAY VASHEE • THE RESEARCH COMMUNITY • HEAD OF MISSION AND CEO OF FANRPAN, DR. LINDIWE MAJELE SIBANDA AND SECRETARIAT STAFF • MEMBERS OF THE FANRPAN COUNTRY NODES • MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES • DISTINGUISHED GUESTS • LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
THE CURRENT GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS HAS BEEN A WAKE UP CALL FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD, IN PARTICULAR FOR AFRICA TO RETHINK ITS STRATEGIES ON FOOD SECURITY. AFRICA HAS TO INVEST IN THE EMPOWERMENT OF ITS FARMERS THROUGH ACCESS THEM THE NECESSARY RESOURCES SUCH AS ADEQUATE INPUTS, TRAINING AND HELP THEM REACH GLOBAL MARKETS AND TO BE GLOBAL TRADERS. VALUE ADDITION IS STILL LACKING IN AFRICAN THIS ONE AN ISSUE THART NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED URGENTLY. THE AFRICAN UNIION IS CONVINCED THAT AGRICULTURAL GROWTH IS THE ENGINE TO DRIVE AFRICA’S ECONOMIC GROWTH. HENCE OUR INITIATIVE WITH THE NEW PROGRAMME FOR AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT (NEPAD) THROUGH THE COMPREHENSIVE AFRICAN AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (CAADP) AS WELL AS THE SIRTE DECLARATION ON AGRICULTURE AND WATER. CAADP IS DESIGNED TO HELP AFRICAN COUNTRIES ACCELERATE ECONOMIC GROWTH THROUGH AGRICULTURAL-LED DEVELOPMENT WHICH ELIMINATES HUNGER, REDUCES POVERTY AND FOOD INSECURITY, AND ENABLES EXPANSION OF EXPORTS. AFRICA IS UNDERGOING A REMARKABLE ECONOMIC AND AGRICULTURAL RECOVERY WITH AVERAGE ANNUAL GROWTH RATES WELL ABOVE 5% AND SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA (SSA) HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING A REMARKABLE RECOVERY OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS. AS A RESULT, THE CONTINENT HAS WITNESSED THE LONGEST PERIOD OF SUSTAINED POSITIVE PER CAPITA INCOME GROWTH SINCE THE 1960S, IN PARTICULAR WITH HIGH AND INCREASING PER CAPITA INCOME GROWTH RATES. THE RECOVERY PROCESS WHICH STARTED IN THE LATE 1990S HAS ACCELERATED OVER THE LAST DECADE AND HAS NOW REACHED
AVERAGE GROWTH RATES OF 6 PERCENT PER YEAR FOR GDP AND 4 TO 5 PERCENT FOR AGRICULTURE. THE NUMBER OF COUNTRIES THAT HAVE ACHIEVED THE CAADP GROWTH TARGET OF 6% HAS DOUBLED SINCE 2003 BUT THE CHALLENGE IS NOT TO SUSTAIN THIS IF WE ARE TO ACHIEVE THE OBJECTIVES OF CAADP. MALAWI IS ONE OF THE COUNTRIES IN SUB SHARANA AFRICA WELL ON COURSE TO IMPLEMENT THE CAADP COMPACT. AS AU WE ARE PLEASED THAT MALAWI HAS BECOME A SHINING EXAMPLE FOR THE REST OF THE CONTINENT THROUGH ITS FOCUSED POLICIES ON FOOD PRODUCTION. I BRING YOU WARM GREETINGS FROM THE AU DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON, H.E. ERATUS MWENCHA, WE IS UNABLE TO JOIN US AT THIS AUSPICIOUS OCCASION DUE TO COMMITMENTS ELSEWHERE. I MUST SAY AT THE ONSET THAT I WOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO WALK IN HIS SHOES FOR THEY ARE TOO BIG FOR. I WILL ATEMPT HOWEVER, TO PRESENT HIS THOUGHTS FOR THIS GATHERING AS CLOSER TO HOW HE WOULD HAVE DONE IT HAD HE BEEN HERE. THE AU IS HONOURED TO BE PART OF THIS IMPORTANT DIALOGUE AND MORE SO TO CELEBRATE SUCCESS, AFRICA HAS FOR SO LONG DENIED ITSELF THE OPPORTUNITIES TO CELEBRATE WHAT IS GOOD AND WORTHY OF REPLICATION. WE HAVE BEEN LINKED TO THE ‘DARK’ THINGS, WARS, DISUNITY, POVERTY AND HUNGER. TODAY, WE STAND PROUD TO CELEBRATE OUR SUCCESS, ENDURANCE AND HOPE. MALAWI HAS PROVIDED THAT HOPE, THAT ENDURANCE AND THAT SUCCESS.
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