First West African Hunger and Malnutrition workshop opens in Accra
The first West African Regional Alliance Against Hunger and Malnutrition workshop, opened in Accra on Wednesday.
The three-day event is on the theme; “Uniting West Africa Against Hunger and Malnutrition.”
The group is a global voluntary partnership, created on the recommendation of the World Food Summit.
It brings together local, national and international institutions with the aim of building national-level policy dialogue in the fight against hunger and malnutrition.
The group also assists in achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, through support to country-led partnerships.
The Minister of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), Mr Kwesi Ahwhoi, said the Government considered the initiative as a potential to contribute towards agricultural transformation for improved food security in West Africa.
He said Government had facilitated the development of a Medium Term Agricultural Sector Investment Plan (METASIP), to implement the Food and Agriculture Sector Development Policy (FASDEP II) in the medium term 2011-2015.
Mr Ahwoi explained that METASIP had been developed using a largely participatory process, and based on FASDEP II objectives of food security, income growth, market access, sustainable land management, applied science and technology and institutional coordination, with an agriculture sector GDP growth target of at least six per cent per annum, and government expenditure allocation of at least 10 per cent of the national budget within the planned period.
The Sector Minister said he was aware that such plans were also being implemented in other West African countries, as well as efforts by development partners to align their plans with such existing plans.
Mr Ahwoi said progress was being made at a time when the Sub-Region was experiencing some challenges in food security and nutrition as a result of some factors including environmental degradation and high food prices globally.
“The option available to us to come out of these difficulties is governments’ commitment to the implementation of country-owned plans, and the responsibility of civil society organisations such as the National Alliance Against Hunger and Malnutrition in West Africa, to support these initiatives and contribute positively to them, “ he said.
Mr Ahwoi urged stakeholders at the workshop to come up with a structure that would enable the National Alliances to play useful roles in the various on-going agricultural and food security reforms within the countries, and in addition, be able to contribute towards other regional and international targets of food security development.
“We expect that the alliance would contribute positively towards enhancing the state of food and nutritional security in countries of the Sub-Region,” he said.
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor, winner of 2011 World Food Laurel, said one of the biggest problems facing mankind presently was how to securely and sustainably feed the world’ s ever growing population.
He said: “Over a billion people, the highest number in four decades we are told, will go hungry today and everyday, There are many hundreds of millions more, who while not hungry, suffer the damaging impact of consistently poor diets. For them, there may be food on the table, but what quality of food?”
President Kufuor said it was unfortunate that “Our devastating food deficit is not because of lack of will or shortage of land, but largely because of lack of knowledge on the part of our farming communities who continue to live on subsistence agriculture, and our societies, which generally do not show the political will needed to tackle the challenges of hunger and poverty”.
He said this was supported by the fact that 60 per cent of the world’s uncultivated arable land “Is on our continent”.
President Kufuor noted that outmoded agricultural practices and other factors such as desertification and unfavourable climatic conditions, were among factors mitigating against solving the problem of food and hunger in Africa.
“If our governments streamline their policies in agriculture, food and nutrition, so that our people are able to make use of best practices across West Africa, I am sure we would be on our way to finding lasting solutions to the problems of hunger and malnutrition,” he said.
Mr Fernando Salinas, Senior Forestry Officer, Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), said although the West African Sub-Region was making strides in food sufficiency and food security, there was still more to be done “As we come close to 2015”.
He called for lasting solutions to the problems and issues that gave rise to the persist hunger and poverty in the Sub-Region.
“This can only be achieved through a concerted effort of all stakeholders in the agricultural and related sectors. Achieving food security is at the heart of FAO’s efforts to make sure that people have regular access to enough high quality food, while leading a healthy and active life,” Mr Salinas said.
Mr David Amakye Dede, Ace Ghanaian Highlife musician, was awarded the title “Ambassador and Hunger Advocate for the Alliance in Ghana” for his efforts towards achieving a hunger free society in Ghana.
He pledged to honour the new title with messages against hunger and poverty at any opportunity.
Source: GNA