President John Dramani Mahama is championing a proactive approach for African nations to cultivate self-reliance through enhanced agricultural investments toward sustainable food security and economic independence.
This is in the wake of a $156 million funding shortfall from the suspension of USAID programs.
The suspension has imposed a significant effect on critical areas such as education, healthcare, and agriculture.
However, President Mahama in response to the suspension during the 2024 Munich Security Forum in Germany emphasized that the challenge presents an opportunity for African nations to refocus their efforts on agricultural investments, that will drive economic growth and reduce dependency on foreign aid.
“But I was just reading US farmers are beginning to complain because USAID was the biggest mopper of excess food for food aid to Africa, and USAID is not doing the auctions that mop up the excess US food. And so the US farmers are complaining, but it’s an opportunity for Africa to increase food production.
“And so if that aid stops coming, we would do the investments that are necessary to make our farmers more productive so that we can establish food security in Africa instead of waiting for those USAID handouts to come”, Ghana’s President stated.
