SDD work in tandem with key African challenges, says Josue Dione
By Yinka Adeyemi, 10 December 2004

The work programme of the Sustainable Development Division (SDD) of the Economic Commission for Africa is directly connected to the current key challenges faced by Africa, especially, in the area of food Security, SDD Director, Josue Dione said.

At an informal consultation with experts from the Committee on Sustainable Development (CSD) who met officers of the Division yesterday, Dione said SDD''s present focus on agricultural transformation was due to its multi-sectoral linkages.

"Mainly because of its multiplier effects across various sectors Agriculture has a potential capacity to contribute to poverty reduction in Africa," he said.

The Division’s work on water will also continue because of its cross-cutting impacts on health, energy and food security, Dione said.

He added that SDD would strengthen its Population, Environment, Development and Agriculture (PEDA) model so that it can be used as an analytical tool for simulation of various policy scenarios.

A member of the CSD delegation, Dr. Ahmed Khorshid, who is the Director of Food Technology Center in Egypt, urged the Division to intensify its work on science and technology for food security. But he added that such a programme would only work with the introduction of a component on extension services.

The other member of the delegation, Blessing Manale, who is the Director of Sustainable Development at the Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, said the work programme of the Division was "a good basis" for some of the most serious challenges facing Africa, but that more attention needed to be placed on other areas, such as the inter-relationships between trade, finance, poverty eradication and sustainable development.

"How does finance of trade affect agriculture? How does corporate governance impact on sustainable development issues and what partnership roles can be played by the business sector?," Mr Minale asked.

Mr. Dione said most of the issues raised by the experts would be addressed at two planned expert group meetings and in Sustainable Development Report of Africa, the forthcoming flagship publication of the Division.