The head of state was speaking this Saturday at the extraordinary session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government organized by the African Union to discuss the development of agriculture in Africa, which took place in Kampala, Uganda.
"We must place agriculture among the most important priorities of each of our nations, as it is the basis for the development of our economies, food security and the path to inclusive growth", João Lourenço appealed, adding that African nations are "far behind the commitments made in the Malabo Declaration (a document signed by African heads of government in 2014, to boost agricultural production and ensure food security).
He therefore called for consensus to be reached for the approval of a Strategy and Action Plan for the Integrated Programme for the Development of Agriculture in Africa for the next ten years (2026-2035), urging the African Union Commission to find mechanisms for the successful implementation of these instruments and work with Member States to integrate them into national agricultural investment plans.
He also stressed the need to honour the commitments made in the Malabo Declaration, to allocate at least 10 percent of national budgets to agriculture.
João Lourenço argued that the action plan that makes up the Integrated Programme for the Development of Agriculture in Africa should form the basis for attracting investment in agriculture and the production of fertilizers, in order to guarantee self-sufficiency and food security.
He also highlighted the "vital importance" of agricultural mechanization, seed certification, the improvement of rural infrastructure and the development of irrigation systems to increase export capacity to foreign markets.
Angola will assume the rotating presidency of the African Union (AU) for a period of one year in February.
