‘A blessing and a curse’ can best describe Africa’s natural resources as the naturally rich continent remains poor. And, the paradox has continued to this very day despite little headways.
Although not to the extent and ill-intended old stereotyping against Africa, the continent fails to feed its burgeoning population. And millions of Africans depend on the goodwill and assistance of international donors. As much as the good things happening in the continent, natural and man-made menaces are already leaving millions of Africans in need of daily aid support. The severe ramification of climate change which has increased in frequency and intensity in Africa has resulted in droughts and famines.
In contrast to the grim reality, the continent ticks all the boxes to feed the entire world. Having 65 per cent of uncultivated land, and over 70 per cent young population, Africa indeed with the right policies and strategies, Africa has the potential to substitute dependency with self-sufficiency.
And the sharp growth in the number of global population and the ever-increasing impact of climate change and war and conflicts are expected to demand for food. Despite the long way to walk the talks, there is now increased ambition and push from the African side to encourage trade and discourage aid. Nations have begun investing aggressively in transforming the agriculture sector through innovation and technology.
Despite the same challenges facing the country over the years, Ethiopia has been doing its level best to secure self-sufficiency in food and curtail aid dependency. From the ‘‘Bounty of the Basket” (Ye Lemat Tirufat) initiative to the summer irrigated wheat project, Ethiopia has been taking a wide range of activities to scale up the performance of its agriculture sector. Encouraging results have been made and the country plans to further zoom in on the projects.
Lately, speaking after the 100-day evaluation meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh disclosed that concerted efforts have been underway to end aid dependency in Ethiopia by developing potential natural resources.
The performance evaluation focused on the performance of the macro-economy and the major sectors, local media reported.
High yield was obtained from summer irrigation, he said, adding that rice cultivation and crop cultivation in general gave abundant harvests. In addition to implementing initiatives, numerous forums have been held with the public in regions to ensure food sovereignty, Temesgen pointed out.
Here, we are reminded that government officials conducted consultations with communities in various parts of the country over the last two weeks to realize a transformative shift in the agricultural sector. The forums were imperative to shape the collective psyche towards self-reliance.
“The government is ready to work day and night with the hardworking people of Ethiopia to increase productivity by utilizing the fertile soil and water and end the country’s history of aid dependency.”
In this regard, the people who participated in the forums have affirmed their determination to stop aid dependence, he said, explaining that this was one of the directions set by the 100-day performance evaluation meeting.
The country’s ambition relies on the ability to accelerate adoption and scale up promising projects like the aforementioned ones.
While the Ethiopian government has recognized the importance of ending dependency and food insecurity, now it is time for all to move from words to actions.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 14 JUNE 2024
