There would be 150 million fewer hungry people in the world if women were given the same access as men to agricultural supports, an Africa Day conference was told in Dublin last week.
Dr Marcela Villarreal, director of Gender and Equity at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, also told participants that food production would be increased, and that millions in Africa would escape a life of hunger, if women farmers were to receive their fair share of support.
Dr Villarreal was one of a panel of speakers who participated in the annual Africa Day conference, which had the theme of ‘Investing in Africa – Society, Agriculture and Trade’, jointly organised by Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin and Self Help Africa.
The conference was formally opened by Kenyan Ambassador to Ireland Catherine Muigai Mwangi and by Minister for Development and Trade Jan O’Sullivan.
Ambassador Mwangi told participants that increased investment in Africa’s rural non-farm activity and agricultural business “including increased use of technology, to improve production output, could potentially decrease poverty levels.”
She highlighted a number of policy responses, including the creation of macroeconomic environments, encouragement and support of entrepreneurship and the informal sector, and improved access to education and skills, which she said would tackle unemployment and deliver a sustainable development in the untapped economies of Africa.
In her address, Minister O’Sullivan said nowadays Africa is increasingly is increasingly being seen “Lions on the Move” with huge potential for both enterprise development and foreign investment.
“Economic growth on the continent rivals that of other emerging economies. Ireland will be part of this changing dynamic,” she added.
“We seek to invest more and trade more with Africa, our future is one where we will trade and work as equal partners. This allows us to target our aid to the most vulnerable, the hungry and poor of Africa.”
Other guest speakers included Prof Margaret Kigozi of the Uganda Investment Authority, who outlined to the attendance the rapid growth of inward investment into her country in the past decade.
Dr Eoin Gahan of Forfas said that great opportunities existed for Irish companies to invest in Africa, specifically in such areas as renewable energy, tourism, commodities and entertainment.
Kalongo Chitengi of Self Help Africa highlighted key role that smallholder farmers had to play in the future economic growth of Africa, while Prof Keith Palmer of AgDevCo advocated in favour of a model for a public private partnership to develop a large-scale agricultural infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa.
The conference was one of the many events organised to celebrate this year’s Africa Day.
