Africa should apply own solutions to own problems

The African continent should apply its own solutions to a wide range of problems affecting the continent, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said Saturday.

Ahmed made the remarks while addressing the 36th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Assembly, which is underway from Feb. 18 to 19 at the headquarters of the AU in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

“While the principle of African solutions to African problems is widely raised in the scope of conflict, it is imperative that we begin to extend this principle to a wide range of peace and security issues. Continental food security and food sovereignty is one such issue,” Ahmed told African leaders.

Ahmed said the recent signing of the peace accord between the Ethiopian government and the rebel group to end the two-year conflict in northern Ethiopia could be seen as an African solution.

“Ethiopia is where it is today in no small part because of the tireless efforts of the African Union and the wisdom of its deeply-held belief in the principle of African solutions to African problems,” Ahmed said.

Noting the need to ensure food security in Africa, Ahmed said Africa is not only well able to feed itself, but also can become a bread basket of the world.

“With 65 percent of the world’s remaining uncultivated arable land in our backyards, we need to critically assess why one-third of the hungry people in the world are in our continent,” he said.

Ahmed said Ethiopia is working to enhance agricultural productivity in the past four years as part of an initiative to ensure food security.