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Chambas calls for revival of regional agriculture
Accra, Feb. 18, Ghanadot/GNA –
ECOWAS Commission President, Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, has
described last year’s food crisis that created shortages and
catapulted the prices of foodstuffs as a wake up call for
regional agricultural revival.
This will enable the bloc to feed its teeming population,
generate employment and the raw materials to support
industries.
In a presentation at the opening of the second ECOWAS
business forum in Ouagadougou last week, Dr Chambas said the
crisis showed the non-sustainability of the policy of
ignoring the development of local agriculture in favour of
imports and provided a “unique opportunity to re-launch West
African agriculture as a business for sustainability”.
Focusing on the theme, “Harnessing Agricultural Potentials
through Regional Partnerships”, Dr Chambas said the forum
had reinforced an urgency that was consistent with one of
the six priority programmes of the Commission for 2009 to
pursue the implementation of the ECOWAS Agricultural Policy
(ECOWAP).
The other five priorities include the development of
regional infrastructure, removal of barriers to free
movement, pursuit of other partnerships with emerging
markets, negotiation of the Economic Partnership Agreement
(EPA) with the European Union and increased engagement of
the private sector in the integration process.
Dr Chambas, who spoke on the role of the private sector in
the implementation of integration process, said there was a
shared responsibility, including the private sector, who
would become its greatest beneficiaries, to ensure the
removal of the constraints to free movement.
While acknowledging that a functioning customs union was a
requirement within the framework of the negotiation of the
EPA, he said it was still necessary for the realisation of
the region’s integration agenda.
Dr Chambas appealed to the private sector to scale up its
investment in all sectors, adopt concrete modalities for
boosting investment in rice production, campaign vigorously
against barriers to free movement as well as participate and
sponsor more ECOWAS programmes in the future.
About 400 people, mostly from the private sector,
participated in the three-day forum, a platform by ECOWAS to
build synergy among the private sector and involve them more
intensively in the integration process.
GNA
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