Lilongwe, Malawi -28 October 2010- "Without food, the medicines and drugs in hospitals and clinics become ineffective or even dangerous to the sick; without food, children cannot learn well in schools; without food, the labour force cannot be productive; without food, you cannot maintain the police service and national defence forces and without food, we cannot maintain peace keeping forces anywhere in the world", said H.E Prof. Bingu Wa Mutharika, President of the Republic of Malawi and Chairperson of the African Union, at the official opening session of the Conference African Ministers of Agriculture (CAMA), today 28 October 2010, in Lilongwe, Malawi.

The President indicated that agriculture accounts for about 70 percent of Africa's labour force, and contributes to over 25 percent of its Gross Domestic Product.

According to President Mutharika, the important component of the African Food Basket is the determination of the staples grown in different African countries and the creation of reliable data banks through the use of information and communication technologies. "Within each region and between various regions, we should encourage local farmers and investors from other African countries to grow any stable crops for export to countries where these are needed", he advised.

Under the theme "Delivering on Africa's Agriculture Development Agenda" the Conference was hosted by the Government of Malawi and organised by the Africa Union Commission (AUC) and the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NEPAD Agency).

The 14th Ordinary Summit of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union declared that 'within a period of five years, Africa must be able to feed itself'. It is in this regard that Prof. Mutarika said, "the African Union decided to place highest priority on agriculture and food security as the basis for economic transformation and change within the short period of time".

H.E Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at the AUC, acknowledged the President's exemplary leadership and vision that has given further impetus towards the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) in line with the theme of the ongoing Conference 'Delivering on Africa's Agriculture Development Agenda'. "It is, Indeed, gratifying that the implementation of CAADP towards increased agricultural production, productivity, food and nutrition security has experienced high momentum since the July 2009 Sirte AU Summit", she added.

Speaking to the challenges of Africa's agricultural production and productivity, among others, the Commissioner raised her concerns over the awful increment of Africa's food import bill which is up to USD 33 billion per annum and the increasing number of people who are hungry and malnourished - to almost 1billion worldwide, of which the majorities are in Africa.

"We are sure that, in pursuit of Millennium Development Goals, if the implementation of CAADP is accelerated and if we propel the vision of a food secure Africa, we will be able to reduce the hungry, the malnourished and, indeed, the poverty stricken", she told the participants at the conference. (The complete speech of the Commissioner is available on www.africa-union.org)

Representing the developing partners, Dr. Vincent O'Neill, of the Embassy of Ireland and Chair, Donor Working Group on Agriculture and Food Security, Malawi, acknowledged that the progress made by most African countries towards the achievement of the MDG's, and "many countries such as Malawi, appear on track to meet most of these goals by 2015, or shortly thereafter" he added.

Dr. O'Neill affirmed the commitment of the development partners to continue supporting CAADP implementation. "The existence of the CAADP framework, presents an excellent opportunity for ensuring that the leadership of African Governments can better be supported by the international community, in ensuring the increased focus on agriculture can lead to continued growth, improved national food security, and better nutrition for African citizens", he stated.

Among other things, the Ministerial session is launched the Framework and Guidelines for Land Policy in Africa, which also featured a High-level Panel Discussion on "Land-based Foreign Direct Investment in Africa". On its second day, the Ministerial Session will debate on the theme of the Conference, and examine, consider and adopt the report of the Experts Session.

For interviews and more information on this event, contact Mr. Molalet Tsedeke, Division of Communication and Information, AUC. +265099914537 or molalet24t@yahoo.com