Kufour Task African Government To Make Agriculture Attractive

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday called for African governments to adopt policies that modernise agriculture and make it attractive for the youth and the educated. He said although most populations in Africa are engaged in farming, they still use �centuries-old methods which are difficult, back-breaking, and mainly on subsistence basis -- and therefore do not attract the energetic and educated youth.� Former President Kufuor was addressing the British All Party Parliamentary Group on Agriculture and Food for Development at the British Parliament on �Linking Local Agriculture, Nutrition and Education: Innovations to Improve Food Security�. The forum chaired by Lord (Paul) Boateng, former MP and former Chief Secretary of the Treasury, was organised by the Partnership for Child Development and the Imperial College. Former President Kufuor said: �Africa alone, of all the world�s continents, does not grow enough food to feed itself � more than any other continent, Africa needs solutions for its myriad challenges in agriculture, nutrition, and health.� He called on governments to adopt measures to address these problems since lack of good nutrition has adverse effects on the health and intellectual development of children. Speakers at forum included Professor Gordon Conway of International Development and Agriculture for Impact; Professor Don Bundy, Lead Health Specialist, the World Bank; and Dr. Boitshepo Giyose, Food Nutrition Advisor, the New Economic Partnership for Africa (NEPAD). Earlier in the day, Former President Kufuor held bilateral talks with a number of British MPs and government officials including Alan Haselhurst, Chairman of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association; Lady Glennys Kinnock, Shadow Spokesperson for the Department of International Development at the House of Lords; and Dr. Michael Anderson, Permanent Secretary, Department for International Development (DFID).