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| Land Forum Addresses Foreign Investor Demand for Africa’s Farmlands ECA Press Release No. 120/2011 Nairobi, 05 October 2011 (ECA) - The former President of Botswana, Festus Mogae has called on participants attending a High-Level forum on land investments in Africa to find effective solutions to “the vexed issue of how to upscale investment in the agricultural sector.” The two-day forum kicked off Tuesday in Nairobi amidst increasing concerns over foreign demand for farmlands in Africa and what has come to be seen as ‘land grabs.’ The forum was convened by the Land Policy Initiative (LPI), which comprises the African Development Bank (AfDB), African Union Commission (AUC) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). President Mogae, who also chairs the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CoDA), urged participants to “not simply to cry wolf” over the demand for land,” but to come up with ideas on the best policies for managing investments in land and agriculture. “Failure to significantly transform the continent’s agricultural sector, through greater investments as well as the application of the myriad science and technology tools available now in the twenty-first century would be inexcusable,” he said. Josue Dione, Director, Food Security and Sustainable Division at the ECA said the forum was an opportunity to make significant progress in assisting African member States make foreign investments work for a real African agricultural revolution. “It is African governments’ legitimate responsibility to ensure that serious investors are welcomed and invited to invest in developing Africa’s agriculture without jeopardizing the land rights of African local communities and the long-term interests of African countries,” he stressed. Abebe Haile Gabriel, Director, Rural Economy and Agriculture at the African Union Commission emphasized that Africa’s “state of preparedness and concerted actions” will determine whether or not land-based Foreign Direct Investments can enhance growth and development goals and aspirations for Africans. He also pointed out that although FDI has greatly contributed to the achievement of growth and development objectives of a number of countries around the world, Africa has been the least served has not accrued meaningful benefits. “Yet, it is in Africa that many of the developmental challenges – including MDGs – are being faced and met. Africa needs to attract mobilize and benefit from FDI,” he underscored. For his part, Abdirahman Beileh, Director, Agriculture &Agro-Industry at the AfDB said that land deals and the environment within which they take place, should be designed in ways that will reduce the threats and facilitate the opportunities for all parties involved. He emphasized the “urgent need to work together for better understanding in order to design policies and safeguard measures to ensure that these large-scale land benefit Africa.” Representing the views of traditional institutions was Prof. J.S Nabila, President of the National House of Chiefs Ghana who said Chiefs are the “first point of contact on land issues, including large scales land investments.” He called for support and capacity-building in contract management and proper land use practices. Acording to Marc Wegerif Economic Justice Campaign Coordinator atOxfam,over 160 million hectares of land in Africa have been under negotiations in large-scale land deals since 2001, which he said, “is more land than Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi combined.” A major expected outcome of the Forum will be proposed specific interventions to expedite the implementation of the AU joint framework and guidelines on land policy. :: Statement by Dr. Josue Dione, Director, Food Security and Sustainable Development Division, UNECA Issued by: ECA Information and Communication Service Tel: 251 11 5445098
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