The African Development Bank, AFDB says African countries import nearly 50 billion dollars net of food annually.
A statement by AfDB’s Communication and External Relations Department said the bank’s Vice President for Agriculture, Human, and Social Development, Jennifer Blanke said this at a panel discussion at the 7th Tokyo International Conference in Japan with the theme: “Advancing Africa’s Development through People, Technology, and Innovation.’’
Blanke explained that it was unfortunate that in spite that the continent was holding sixty per cent of the world’s arable land, it still imports food.
She said investing in Africa’s food markets, governments could win the fight against stunting and improve nutrition across the continent.
Blanke said that with support from institutions like the AfDB, the results would be a win-win situation for all. She however, added that women in agriculture were an overlooked stakeholder group, saying that in most parts of Africa, most farmers were women.
