Think beyond agriculture, leaders told

 

By Frank Kimboy, The Citizen Reporter 

In Summary

• Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said during the ongoing global partnership dialogue that the sector has been losing ground as the foundation of African economies due to challenges such as limited land.

Dar es Salaam. African countries have been warned against relying too heavily on agriculture as the driver of the continent’s growth.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said during the ongoing global partnership dialogue that the sector has been losing ground as the foundation of African economies due to challenges such as limited land.

He advised participants to set their sights on areas such as industrial networks. The Uganda president said he was disappointed that most of Africa’s leaders have held up agriculture as the backbone of Africa’s economic development when they know full well that there are land problems. “Nearly the entire continent is experiencing land conflicts, which have worsened the agriculture sector,” he added. “We should look for alternatives; one day, Africa will find itself at a crossroads economically due to lack of land.”

President Museveni cited the Kenya situation, where land ownership is a big bone of contention. Protests that most of it is in the hands of a few land barons rise by the day. “My fellow Africans, let me ask you when we will stop relying on agriculture as the engine to push forward our development,” Mr Museveni added.


“Haven’t you seen land problems that we have been encountering? Look at Kenya and Nigeria, where the source of conflict is basically land.”

He also called on African countries to invest in human resources instead of depending on natural resources as the path to economic prosperity.

Tanzania’s minister for Communication, Science and Technology, Prof Makame Mbarawa, urged African countries to identify the kind of technology necessary for Africa’s development so they can establish how much investment is required.

Briefing reporters after the closed-door meeting, Chief Secretary Ombeni Sefue said participants discussed the importance of leadership skills in the pursuit of development. They reportedly identified political willingness to accept change as one of the key factors in economic prosperity.