THE Vice-President Dr Philip Mpango said in response to the global food crisis, African countries must invest heavily in agriculture to meet global food demands.
Dr Mpango made the remarks yesterday at the ongoing World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, as he addressed the topic of global food security.
He said African countries should improve agricultural policies in order to overcome the challenges of food insecurity.
Dr Mpango added that African countries should invest in modern irrigation and sustainable agriculture, infrastructure including roads, and equally set aside land for large-scale farming investments.
He added that due to the challenges of climate change, there is a need to invest heavily in industries that will produce agricultural inputs, including fertilisers and im- proved high-quality seeds.
Elaborating, Vice-President Mpango urged international research institutes to support the efforts of African countries in soil fertility enhancement, so as to increase agricultural productivity.
He also stressed the need for global peace, in order to boost the world food production and ease its distributions.
Equally, the Vice-President noted that Tanzania is well placed to use its human resources, especially the youth in improving the agricultural value chain by allocating arable land for agricultural productivity that will go hand in hand with the provision of extension services, inputs and reliable markets.
The food security topic was high on the agenda as the world faces various challenges leading to global food shortages such as Covid-19, war and climate change.
The Vice-President is in Davos, Switzerland to represent President Samia Suluhu Hassan at a World Economic Forum meeting, which is involving more than 50 Heads of State and Government.
The meeting also attracted 300 governmental representatives, who are sharing their vision for the world.
Over 1,250 leaders from the private sector are also participating, along with nearly 100 Global Innovators and Technology Pioneers-the world’s most promising tech and business start-ups and scale-ups.
The extraordinary event takes place at a watershed moment in history from 22-26 May 2022, convening nearly 2,500 leaders to tackle global issues and find solutions to the world’s most urgent challenges including the ongoing global pandemic, the war in Ukraine, geo-economic shocks and climate change.
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Over the past two years, the World Economic Forum has strengthened its impact initiatives, which deal with issues ranging from Covid-19 and climate change to education as well as technology and energy governance.
These include the Reskilling Revolution, an initiative to provide 1 billion people with better education, skills and jobs by 2030; an initiative on universal environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics and disclosures to measure stakeholder capitalism; and the 1 trillion trees initiative, to protect trees, forests and restore the planet’s ecosystems.
Civil society is represented by more than 200 leaders from NGOs, social entrepreneurs, academia, labour organisations, faith-based and religious groups, and over 400 media leaders and re- porting press.
The Annual Meeting 2022 at Davos also brings together younger generations, with 100 members of the Forum’s Global Shaper and Young Global Leader com- munities participating.