Maravi

EU to avail 1bn euros for food security in southern Africa

EU to avail 1bn euros for food security in southern Africa
By Florence Bupe
Wednesday July 30, 2008 [04:00]

THE European Union (EU) has earmarked one billion euros aimed at enhancing food security in the southern African region, head of delegation Dr Derrick Fee has disclosed. And Dr Fee advised African leaders to focus on finding solutions to the continent’s economic and political problems. Speaking on Radio Phoenix’s Let the People Talk programme yesterday, Dr Fee said the EU was committed to helping the region find a lasting solution to the prevailing food insecurity.

“The EU will make available one billion euros for food security in the southern African region under the Common Agriculture Policy,” Dr Fee disclosed. “Of this amount, 750 million euros will be released in 2008, while the remaining 250 million euros will be released in 2009.”

Dr Fee added that as an additional step in promoting food security in the region, the union was assisting in the rehabilitation of infrastructure such as roads.
He explained that in Zambia, the EU was in the process of rehabilitating the Zimba-Livingstone road and the Chipata Road as part of its efforts to improve agricultural produce distribution within and around the country.

And Dr Fee advised African countries affected by the power deficit to utilise power pools in averting the energy problem.

“We are in support of the southern African and east African power pools as they are very important elements in the sharing of power. There is great potential for additional power in the region. Those countries that have surplus power generation should share with deficit countries, it’s all about sharing,” he said.
However, Dr Fee pointed out that it would take the region years before the power situation could normalise.

He observed that as the region continued to record growth in various sectors of the economy, the demand for power would continue to increase, thereby creating the need for increased generation.

“We should realise that the power problem is also associated with economic growth. It is not possible to have a growth rate of six to seven per cent consecutively and expect the demand for power to be static,” Dr Fee said. “This region has the potential to alleviate the power problem, but it may only be in 2010 or 2011 that a major change in the power sector may be realised, that is in the long term.”

Meanwhile, Dr Fee said the broadened sanctions against President Robert Mugabe would not in anyway disadvantage ordinary Zimbabweans.

“The sanctions that have been put in place are another way of pushing for Zimbabwe’s regime to behave correctly towards their own people. It is morally wrong for one to infringe on people’s rights and then think they can wander around and be accepted everywhere,” he said.

Dr Fee said African leaders had the responsibility to find solutions to political and economic problems if any meaningful progress were to be registered in the process of democratic governance.

Labels: CORRUPTION, DEREK FEE, EU, FOOD, SANCTIONS

posted by MrK @ 9:25 PM