Ireland launches €2m agric fund for Africa

The Irish government has launched a €2 million agric-focused fund for Africa.

The fund, known as Africa Agri-Food Development Fund, was launched March 21, 2012 in the Irish capital Dublin by government officials.

They were the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Eamon Gilmore, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Mr Simon Coveney and Minister of State for Trade and Development Mr Joe Costello.

“The programme is targeted at encouraging and supporting Irish agri-food companies to transfer knowledge and experience to the African agri-food sector in order to build and strengthen the African food industry and meet the continent’s food needs,” said the Ireland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.

The fund is part of Ireland’s overseas development cooperation programme and is designed to support the development of new partnerships between the agri-food sectors in Ireland and Africa.

The two-year pilot phase (2012 to 2013) will focus on Tanzania and Kenya, the statement said.

By Ekow Quandzie