Agriculture has been marked as the important not only for food security issues but also for inter-regional food integration to achieve a post-covid recovery strategy.
Speaking on the opening day of the African Economic Conference 2020, African Development Bank (AfDB.org) Director of Macroeconomic Policy, Forecasting and Research, Hanan Morsy said Africa beyond COVID-19 should begin accelerating towards inclusive sustainable development.”
Earlier, during a high-level panel session titled Africa beyond COVID-19: How to move towards inclusive and sustainable development, participants proposed tapping renewable sources of energy, adopting new technologies and leveraging the African Free Trade Agreement as some of the ways African countries are working to build back better from the COVID-19 crisis.
We see this as an area that needs particular support, an area of opportunity going forward to increase inter-regional integration and to increase resilience against external shocks.
The panel featured: Director Morsy, Bartholomew Armah Chief, Renewal of Planning Section Macroeconomic Policy Division.
Armah added that Africa needed to utilize its renewable resources to leverageon new employment opportunities.
“We are seeing a catastrophic health crisis, a devastating economic crisis, a climate crisis that is ravaging communities, a crisis of inequality laid bare by the pandemic and a crisis of democracy reflecting citizens eroding trust in their governments. African countries have a wealth of renewable resources that can be tapped to then leverage jobs and create employment for the vast majority of people,” said Armah.
