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West Africa: President Calls for Israeli Assistance to Boost Agriculture in West Africa
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Concord Times (Freetown)
12 May 2008
Posted to the web 12 May 2008
Bhoyy Jalloh
Freetown
The President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas on Friday, 9th May 2008 called for Israeli assistance in ensuring the efficient management of the region's water resources so that it could be better utilized to boost agricultural productivity.
Exchanging views with Ambassador Mr. Moshe Ram of Israel, one of the three Ambassadors accredited to the Commission on Friday, the President said such assistance would enable the region rid itself of its present overdependence on rainfall for agricultural development.
"Because our agriculture is largely dependent on rainfall, one of the challenges we are faced with is the efficient management of our water resources so that it can be used to support improved agricultural productivity," he told the Ambassador.
Dr Chambas said the present soaring cost of basic food items has made it more imperative for the region to improve agricultural productivity in order to ensure food security in the region, adding that the region could also benefit from the experience of Israel in agricultural extension services.
Ambassador Ram said Israel already has an agricultural development-training centre in Nigeria that could be transformed into a regional training hub in agriculture, including the production of vegetables.
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He urged the Commission to specify its preferred areas of interest for the consideration of the government of Israel, adding that the country has experience in irrigation that could be shared with West Africa for the benefit of its agriculture.
Earlier, Dr. Chambas had accredited Ambassador Sherif Naguib of Egypt and used the opportunity to call for the country's capacity building support in the areas of regional peace and security.
Among the three Ambassadors accredited during separate ceremonies was Ambassador Daouda Maligueye Sene, Senegal's new Ambassador to Nigeria.
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