The role played by Agriculture to
world economy cannot be overemphasized especially among developing Nations. In
Africa, Agriculture still remains the main stay of the national economy of most
countries. It contributes significantly to GDP and continues to play a major
role in foreign policy thrust.
However, most governments have
continued to pay lip service to this critical sector in spite of its enormous
potentials. The lack of basic infrastructure such as roads, electricity,
processing and storage facilities, fertilizers, farm machineries, extension
workers, and research institutes have continued to bedevil agricultural
development in Sub-Saharan Africa. This seeming lack of interest could be
attributable to the lack of quality and focused leadership in Africa and the
emergence of other sources of revenues such as petroleum, natural gas and
mining.
It is instructive to note that no
economy can thrive without employment opportunities for its citizens which can
only be guaranteed by vibrant Agricultural sector. Over the years the
international community has played a leading role in its efforts targeted at
improving the fortunes of African nations by contributing significantly towards
the sustenance of Agriculture in Africa. The world bank, UNDP, FAO, WFP DFID etc
have all contributed immensely towards improving agriculture in rural Africa.
The provision of irrigation facilities, improved seeds and seedlings, farm
inputs and technical help are the main features of the assistance rendered by
foreign partners and agencies. Ironically there is little or no reciprocity on
the part of most African governments aimed at consolidating on the efforts of
these international agencies due to corruption, ineptitude and lack of focus.
For any nation to navigate through
the murky waters of international competition and pull through, all sectors of
her economy must be working including Agriculture. This would further boost
investments in the real sector that would encourage Foreign Direct Investment
due to the availability of cheap raw materials from agriculture that will in
the long run create jobs and develop a nation’s economy. Nigeria, a leading
nation in Africa with a population of about 170million with rich arable lands
can harness these potentials instead of operating a monolithic economy hinged
on petroleum that is always under the influence of international fluctuations.
Sudan, Congo DR, Mali Kenya, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Niger etc are a few
examples of African Nations that can harness her agricultural potentials and
develop her economy for the rapid industrialization and benefit of their
ever-growing population.
The
Youth in these African countries must be well motivated to take to agriculture
as a career. Here, Non Governmental organizations must play key roles in
assisting ‘willing’ governments in this regard. They must continue to partner
with research institutes from around the world in finding better improved
methods of farming and animal production. They must engage in the training and
retraining of extension officers who would be deployed to rural communities
thereby driving development so that at least, Africa can achieve a millennium
development goal of eradication hunger and extreme poverty by the year 2020.
Free Counter
No comments:
Post a Comment