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African and non-regional donors announced Tuesday a $ 17 million contribution to replenish the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund, an initiative to ensure food security and eradicate rural poverty on the continent.
The pledges were made at a high-level round table of donors convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the President of Equatorial Guinea Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the African Development Bank in 2019, currently underway in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. .
The President of Equatorial Guinea, Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, declared at the opening of the conference that the Fund illustrated "a turning point in the fight against food insecurity" and said that its tiny, wealthy country Petroleum had generously donated its oil revenues to show solidarity with African countries. countries.
The Fund, an initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, received its initial contribution of $ 30 million from Equatorial Guinea, host country for this year's meetings, and Angola, who paid $ 10 million. His projects have been praised for bringing innovative solutions to African agriculture and food systems.
Speaking on behalf of the President of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, Vice President of the Bank for Agriculture, Human and Social Development, Jennifer Blanke said that Africa was faced with challenges in the fields of agriculture and food production, heavily dependent on food imports.
"It's so important that ASTF shows that African countries are contributing to Africa … This is very closely related to what we do," said Blanke, adding that the Bank is committed to providing farmers with technologies to improve their yields.
The Presidents of Mauritania, Guinea Bissau, Eswatini Prime Minister and several senior diplomats, ministers and development institutions and banks participated in the conference.
The theme of the Bank's meetings this year is "Regional Integration for Africa's Economic Prosperity".
The push for regional integration has gained momentum with the ratification of the African Continental Free Trade Area (CAFTA) agreement in March 2018, which is now at the threshold of its launch in July.
"You can count on us to be very involved," she said.
The Deputy Director-General of FAO, Maria Helena Semedo, chaired FAO President José Graziano da Silva, congratulating the Fund on its achievements.
The Fund has enabled the successful implementation of 18 projects benefiting 41 countries and hundreds and thousands of beneficiaries, including 160 vulnerable households in Niger that have undergone a transformation and grants that have enabled a rapid response to the populations affected by the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. 2014.
"We celebrate the success of the ASTF … the excellent results of the fund over the past five years bear witness to this," said Semedo, describing it as a flagship initiative and one of the most successful funding initiatives of the FAO. She said the generosity of donors was unique proof of the strong solidarity among African countries.
The meeting raised $ 17 million, of which 10 million from Angola, 2.6 million from China, 2 million from France, 2 million from Equatorial Guinea. and $ 100,000 from Zimbabwe.
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