The President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Julius Bio, has criticized the $50 billion spent annually by African countries on food imports.
Speaking on Wednesday in Ibadan at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) during the third day of his visit, Bio emphasized that the imported food items could be grown within the region.
During a session tagged “Strategic Dialogue” on Wednesday, President Bio urged African leaders to brace up and work towards changing the narrative of dependence on foreign food.
He called on leaders to prioritize food security as a means of alleviating the suffering of Africans.
“We must prioritize what is priority. Food security is not just about food; it’s about our economy, health, employment, and many other things,” the President said.
Bio noted that getting African countries to take agriculture seriously at the highest levels has been challenging.
“African governments should mobilize domestic revenue and collaborate with the private sector. Taking these steps can make it easier to finance the agriculture sector,” he said.
“Even before the current challenges, it has always been difficult because international financial institutions have not made it easy for us to access the requisite funds,” he said.
Hafez Ghanem, the Strategic Dialogue Speaker and former World Bank Vice-President, added that African countries could never achieve true sovereignty if they relied on others for their food supply.
Ghanem emphasized that the concept of sovereignty means little if African countries cannot feed themselves.
“It is important for Africa to really focus on this issue of food security and agriculture,” he said.
“We need to work together. One key lesson from India is the role of research and technology in agriculture. To increase yields, we must use better seeds and advanced technologies,” he explained.
The speaker also advocated for joint irrigation projects across the continent to enhance all-round farming.
In their respective remarks, Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno, Gov. Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau and the host governor, Seyi Makinde, shared stories of successful and impactful agri-business initiatives in their states.
On his part, Makinde said his government focused on fixing infrastructure to attract agriculture investors into the state.
He said the Fashola Agri-business Hub Initiative had really attracted many investors and the introduction of “tractorisation” subsidy for farmers has really assisted farmers.
He said the Fashola Agri-business Hub Initiative had really attracted many investors and the introduction of “tractorisation” subsidy for farmers has really assisted farmers.
Bio’s visit to IITA aimed to strengthen partnerships, foster innovation, and boost mobile investments to accelerate the Feed Salone Programme, a major initiative by the Sierra Leonean government to combat food insecurity and malnutrition.