Food Security and Agriculture

While the nation has been transfixed by the confirmation hearings of Judge Brett Kavanaugh for a seat on the Supreme Court, Congress passed significant legislation on Africa that has attracted virtually no attention.

On October 3, the Senate passed the Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development Act, better known …
Continue Reading Congress takes the lead on U.S.-Africa Policy

President Obama, on January 11, suspended the application of duty-free treatment to South Africa’s agricultural exports that come into the U.S. under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The suspension will take effect on March 15 if South Africa does not lower tariffs on American poultry products before then.
Continue Reading An End to the Never-Ending South African Poultry Dispute?

One of the major initiatives announced during last summer’s U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit was the establishment of the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa, a private sector-led body tasked with assisting the President in the development and dissemination of U.S. private sector strategies for taking advantage of trade and…
Continue Reading President’s Advisory Council Focuses On Capital, Supply Chains and Infrastructure

A new, comprehensive report published by the African Union’s high-level panel on illicit financial flows and the United Nations economic commission for Africa (Uneca) concludes that Africa loses more than $50 billion every year to illicit financial flows (IFFs).  The report, entitled Illicit Financial Flows, represents the first African …
Continue Reading AU-UN Report Reveals Startling Illicit Financial Flows in Africa

In the coming months, Egypt and the American company Blumberg Grain will create the world’s largest integrated food storage system for grain, constructing 93 sophisticated wheat storage facilities across Egypt that will process 3.7 million tons annually and store 750,000 tons of wheat.  The food storage system will launch this …
Continue Reading Egypt and Blumberg Grain Launch World’s Largest Integrated Food Storage System

Ghanaian officials announced this month that Ghana has achieved “zero hunger,” and are crediting this success to some of the policies of former Ghanaian president John Kufuor.  The Zero Hunger Challenge — a UN initiative that is supported by various Non-Governmental Organizations and foundations — aims to eliminate hunger through…
Continue Reading Ghana Achieves “Zero Hunger”

Agricultural experts recently gathered in Tanzania to urge African government officials to adopt and improve contract farming in their countries.  Government officials should consider heeding these calls as should smallholder farmers and the private sector.  Contract farming presents a prime opportunity to achieve food security in Africa both by increasing…
Continue Reading Contract Farming Increases Productivity, Reduces Post-Harvest Loss