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Ngwenya urges Africa to focus on energy, agriculture

Ngwenya urges Africa to focus on energy, agriculture
By Mutale Kapekele
Tue 05 Apr. 2011, 04:00 CAT

Africa should quickly develop its energy and agriculture sectors to maximise economic benefits from natural resources, says Comesa Secretary General Sindiso Ngwenya.

Ngwenya said with climate change evolving from being a social, political and moral issue to an economic and business concern, it was imperative that the continent puts more focus on energy and agriculture.

Ngwenya said in Africa, two billion people have no formal access to modern energy and as a result relied on cow dung, agricultural residues and many other solid fuels that were unhealthy.

He regretted that Sub-Saharan Africa remained shackled by lack of reliable electricity and that this was hampering economic growth.

Ngwenya said this in a discussion paper presented to the 44th session of the United Nations Economic Commission (UNECA) for Africa conference for ministers of finance and economic planning which took place in Addis Ababa Ethiopia last week.

Ngwenya further noted that reducing black carbon emissions emanating from inefficient combustion in cooking fires, old diesel engines and brick kilns rise into the atmosphere each time someone fires up a traditional cook-stove or switches on an older-model diesel vehicle.

He emphasised the need to create a market and conducive policy environment for low carbon resource efficient equitable development, adding that fair and efficient ways of reducing carbon emissions required new international agreements and new instruments of national policy.

Ngwenya pointed out that the private sector, including farmers, stood to immensely benefit from the green economy through mitigation and adaptation.

With regard to agriculture, Ngwenya called for focus on environmental friendly agronomic agriculture practices and sustainable land use that contributed to carbon sequestration through conservation agriculture.

Ngwenya said Comesa had a carbon programme which, by 2013, would support three million farmers in its member countries to practice and scale up conservation farming.

Labels: AGRICULTURE, SINDISO NGWENYA

posted by MrK @ 5:09 AM