Leaders Call For Better Gov't In Africa

Better government and investments can alleviate food insecurity, famine, and poverty in Africa, claimed African leaders and researchers who gathered at the School of International and Public Affairs on Friday for African Economic Forum IV

About 200 people, including African leaders, student enthusiasts, and administrators came to the forums, which focused on energy, agriculture, African women in leadership, and capital markets. The fourth-annual panel, presented by the SIPA Pan-African Network, was the first since the announcement of the reopening of the Institute of African Studies and the appointment of professor Mamadou Diouf as its director.

"It's odd to feel we're a leading institution for African development who at one point didn't have an African institute," Laura McGorman, CC '08 and a member of SPAN, said.

"AEF allows students to fill in the gaps of curricular offerings in African Studies in the University," SPAN communications chair and SIPA '07 Christopher Kuonqui said. "Diouf is looking forward to events like this. He was informed of the AEF, [is] very supportive, and he looks forward to being involved in next year's class," Kuonqui said.

The forum was followed by a reception featuring African food and music, an African fashion show, and drumming. Keynote speakers included Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the UK to the United Nations Sir Emyr Jones Parry, and general manager of the Nigerian stock exchange Uzoma Henry Onyekuru.

McGorman said the conference was designed to bring people who live in Africa to speak with those who study it at Columbia. "The main question is, is a green revolution for Africa possible?" she asked.

Director of African food security and natural resources management program at Cornell University Christopher Barrett moderated the panel on agriculture. "We forget about transformation of rural areas in the rest of the world," he said, referring to the development of Europe and Asia. "Almost everyone was engaged in agriculture, famine, with a high mortality rate. ... This transformation has not occurred in Africa on a large basis."

Director of agribusiness and rural livelihoods of Emerging Market Group Rick Andrews spoke about his experiences working to revitalize farming in different regions of Africa. "Food security is more linked to good governance than to agriculture," he said.

Director of the food and agriculture organization of the United Nations and former minister of agriculture in Liberia Florence Chenoweth agreed that policy was the root of poverty and food insecurity. "There has to be a switch," she said. "I do not believe priority has been given to the agricultural sector."

Agriculture policy advisor of the U.N. Millennium Project Bashir Jama attributed hunger in Africa to a lack of investors. "Unless investments increase, we are not going to address these poverty issues," he said. "The revolution is on."