Use our pull-down menus to find more stories
  


OR subscribers use AllAfrica's premium search engine


Click here to read or make comments on this topic »

Cameroon: Diageo Company to Invest in Local Farming


The Post (Buea)
 

Email This Page

Print This Page

Comment on this article

The Post (Buea)

12 May 2008
Posted to the web 12 May 2008

Leocadia Bongben

Diageo, the largest multi-national beer, wine and spirits company in the world has unveiled plans to develop the cultivation of sorghum in Cameroon, invest in local farming.

The initiative disclosed at a Business Action event in London to showcase poverty reduction initiatives for developing countries, is expected to benefit some 10,000 Cameroonians as part of plans to meet the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, to enable the poor access to information, business expertise and new employment opportunities.

This Call to Action Business plan responds to the July 2007 UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown's call to governments, NGOs and faith groups to focus efforts and resources on reaching the MDGs by 2015.

According to the UNDP Administrator, Kemal Dervis, the Business Call to Action is not a one-off event, but a commitment to speed up progress on the MDGs and to create a prosperous world for all.

Speaking in Yaounde, the Charge d'Affaires at the British High Commission, Guillian Edwards, expressed delight that the flagship projects under the Business Call to Action involves Cameroon.

"The potential benefits of these projects in Cameroon and elsewhere are enormous," he asserted. He highlighted that Diageo's initiative would provide a sustainable market for local grain, subsidising some 16,000 tonnes that the Cameroon brewery industry currently imports.

Relevant Links

"Investing in local farming will mean more jobs and higher incomes to benefit farmers and their families", he said. Guillian said the initiative will provide more raw materials for brewing Guinness and other beers in Cameroon and in building stronger relationships between governments and local communities.

The Diageo CEO, Paul Walsh, said his company shares a long standing commitment to Africa, a business place which continues to play a significant part in the growth of his company.

He argued that the Business Call to Action is not philanthropy but a challenge to companies to use their resources in a way that contributes both to the MDGs and to commercial success.



AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.

 
Share this on:
Facebook
Digg
Del.icio.us
StumbleUpon
Muti


Copyright © 2008 The Post. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed

Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe

Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement.

HOME
allAfrica.com


Relevant Links




New Law Could Raise Food Prices Further
Bitter Sweet Sugar Saga - Just What is the Problem?
We Obeyed Law On Tana Sugar Project
'Agriculture Needs Green Growth'
Forex Liberalisation Boosts Cotton Deliveries