AFRICA STILL HUNGRY DESPITE BILLIONS IN FOOD AID, SAYS UN
Mar 12th, 2010 by admin
Up to 33 billion US dollars in food imports a year and a further three billion US dollars worth of food aid have failed to prevent one third of the African population from being chronically hungry, the United Nations has warned. The Director of Food Security and Sustainable Development at the UN’s Economic Commission for Africa, Josue Dione, declared on Wednesday that much of the money that Africa spends on food imports could be better used in supporting domestic production for regional and global trade. Dione told an agribusiness conference in Nigeria that this would contribute to reducing poverty and repositioning Africa in the global economy. The International Red Cross said on Thursday that 2.2 million Zimbabweans urgently need food aid as the country’s harvest is expected to fall short this year. Aid agencies have also warned of a severe food and malnutrition crisis looming in Niger.