Africa is the world’s second-largest and second-most-populous continent. Following behind Asia, Africa is also the continent with the second largest number of hungry people. In 2010, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimated that 239 million people in sub-Saharan Africa were hungry or undernourished. The continent has struggled to resolve this growing problem.
However, former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva believes Africa can eradicate hunger by 2015.
“In a rousing speech to open a conference of African ministers and international leaders, Lula, said Africa could end hunger if there was enough political will to embed the needs of poor people in national policy.
“‘It’s necessary for us to put in the minds and hearts of people to produce … [and] have access to technology and modern machinery to increase their productivity. Brazil overcame this idea that citizens only grow for their subsistence. They have to have excess to sell,’ he told the conference at the African Union.” – guardian.co.uk
African leaders would benefit from heeding Lula da Silva’s recommendation, he is considered an expert on the subject of creating policies that alleviate poverty and hunger.
“Brazil has lifted 36 million people out of extreme poverty in the past ten years.
“Hunger will not be eradicated unless we include the poor in the government budget. I am convinced that ending hunger will only be possible if transformed into a state policy. The commitment of civil society is also important to the success of this process,” said Da Silva, founder and honorary president of Lula Institute.
“I’m certain that every country in Africa and in the world can end hunger if they include the poor in their national budget. Economic growth alone is not enough,” he said – newstimeafrica.com
It remains to be seen whether Africa’s political and economic leaders are willing to allocate the necessary resources to solve Africa’s hunger problem once and for all.
