Maputo, 30 Jul (AIM) – Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi has argued that developing countries, such as Mozambique, should see the business evolution of developed countries as a “springboard” for job creation and socio-economic growth.
Nyusi, who was speaking on Friday in St. Petersburg at the end of the second Russia-Africa Summit, believed that sharing experiences can solve the challenges faced by the country in various sectors, especially in agriculture.
“It is important that African countries, in partnership with developed countries, work together in various fields to build their well-being,” said Nyusi, highlighting the importance of agriculture for the development of African countries.
“We must take into account the mitigation of negative effects on one of the most vulnerable sectors, agriculture, which employs most of the African population. In 2023, it is characterized by a low production capacity, in a context where the use of fertilizers is low and entails a substantial drop in productivity levels,” he added.
Nyusi also hoped that the meeting between Africa and Russia would contribute to strengthening cooperation, taking into account the resources of both parties.
“It is crucial to establish cooperation that promotes the technological capacity of countries, aiming at a rapid development of the African continent,” he said.
Only 17 African heads of state or government attended the summit, compared with 43 at the first such summit held in 2019. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine certainly accounts for the difference.
Many of the African leaders present hoped to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to reinstate the Black Sea grain corridor. Under separate deals between Russia and Turkey, and Ukraine and Turkey, grain shipments could use the Black Sea without fear of attack.
Russia has unilaterally scrapped this arrangement, and has threatened to treat civilian ships in the Black Sea as military targets.
The termination of the deal effectively took many million tonnes of Ukrainian grain off the market, thus leading to a sharp rise in grain prices. At a press conference on Saturday, cited by the Associated Press, Putin admitted that the rise in prices would benefit Russian companies.
He promised to share some of these revenues with “the poorest nations”. This follows Putin’s promise to start shipping 25,000 to 50,000 tonnes of grain free of charge to six African countries over three to four months. At least one of these, Zimbabwe, claims it has a healthy grain surplus. Another, Eritrea, is the only African country that votes consistently with Russia in United Nations resolutions on the Ukraine war.
The other proposed beneficiaries are Mali, the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso and Somalia.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa strongly opposed replacing the black sea grain corridor with discretionary grants of grain.
“We would like the Black Sea initiative to be implemented and that the Black Sea should be open”, urged Ramaphosa. “We are not here to plead for donations to the African continent”.
The amount offered by Putin pales into insignificance compared with the 750,000 tonnes of grain shipped by the UN World Food Programme over the same period.
Ramaphosa’s concerns were echoed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who at the opening of the UN Food Systems Summit in Rome last week, warned that the most vulnerable population strata will suffer due to the increase in food prices.
“We are already seeing the negative effect on global wheat and corn prices which hurts everyone, but this is especially devastating for vulnerable countries struggling to feed their people. As food prices rise, the hopes of developing countries fall,” said Guterres.
He pointed out that Ukraine and Russia “have historically accounted for roughly 30 per cent of world wheat and barley exports, a fifth of all maize and more than half of sunflower oil,” adding that he remains committed to facilitating unimpeded access to global markets for food products and fertilizers and to delivering food security, which “every person deserves.”
(AIM)
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