The African Development Bank (AfDB) and other development partners have pledged $30 billion to national compacts aimed at achieving food sufficiency on the African continent within the next five years.
The resolution was one of the outcomes of the rigorous boardroom deliberations involving 41 countries and 34 Heads of State and Government held as part of the second edition of the Feed Africa Summit, which took place from January 25 to 27 at the Abdou Diouf Centre for International Conference in Dakar, Senegal.
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina stated at the event that the development partners who were actively involved in the boardroom sessions “agreed to support these compacts with a sharp focus on results” and collectively committed $30 billion towards implementing the game-changing initiatives drawn from sub-regional clusters on the continent.
He further stated that if the leaders do not retrace their steps, democracy would be entrenched in corruption, noting that the implication would be costly. The president stated that the compacts developed for funding totaled 40 in number and that initiatives aimed at ensuring food security across the continent would be prioritized.
He said: “Democracy is possible in Nigeria, and we have the capacity to build a culture of democratization.” The $30 billion commitment excludes other efforts targeted at attracting other private sector funding to the agriculture ecosystem. However, some youths staged a protest shortly after Buhari commissioned the underpass and left to commission another.
