Issued by: Ministry of Agriculture
African countries need to cooperate in key economic areas if they are to achieve a remarkable economic recovery.
Addressing the Pan African Exhibition Rural and Agricultural World in the Congo today, deputy minister of Agriculture Thoko Didiza said new trends within the international economic system made it impossible for African countries to go it as individual countries.
"In order to achieve economic growth in our continent we have to share resources and harmonise our economic policies and procedures, encourage technology transfer and promote inter-regional trade and investment," she said.
She said South Africa could play a pivotal role to promote cooperation because the country enjoyed what she called comparative advantages over many African countries. She singled out agriculture as one of the key areas in which cooperation was needed to enhance growth and development in other African countries. She said South African farmers were already running successful farming operations in the Congo and Mozambique.
On their part, other African countries can make use of the high quality research services offered by South African research institutes.
Mrs Didiza added that the agriculture base of the African countries needed to be expanded in order to create more job opportunities. "Because of its strategic position within the economy, agriculture serves as a creator of jobs both in rural and urban areas. To ensure constant success we need to boost women's skills, both in farming and management, and we need to encourage our young men and women to enter this vital field," she said.
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26 February 1997