Africa’s Untapped Agricultural Wealth: Dr. Keidi Awadu’s Vision for Economic Transformation
Dr Keidi Awadu, a renowned author and chief journalist, painted a compelling vision for Africa’s agricultural and economic future. In his conversation with Dominion TV’s Korku Lumor on Wake Up Africa morning show, Dr Awadu emphasized that Africa holds immense potential to create wealth through its vast arable lands, an opportunity that remains largely untapped.
At the heart of his argument was the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), a groundbreaking initiative designed to unify the continent’s market by eliminating trade barriers, facilitating investment, and boosting intra-African trade.
However, Dr Awadu lamented that Africa is not fully leveraging this agreement, despite it being a long-standing pillar of pan-African ideologies and its potential to revolutionize agriculture and trade.
“We have the largest free trade agreement in the world,” he stated, “yet we are failing to integrate it effectively into our development strategies. Africa must consolidate its cultural centrality and prioritize infrastructure development to maximize its potential.”
Dr Awadu backed his argument with striking facts; that, Africa possesses 2.16 billion acres (874 million hectares) of land, enough to feed approximately 12.9 billion people if managed efficiently. However, issues such as poor infrastructure, lack of technological integration, and rural-urban migration have hindered productivity.
Beyond trade agreements, he stressed the importance of rural development as a means to curb rural-urban migration and retain labour in agricultural areas. Without strong rural economies, Africa’s agricultural workforce will continue to dwindle. He also underscored the role of technology in farming, pointing out that mechanization and modern agricultural techniques could significantly increase productivity and efficiency.
To address these challenges, he proposed three key solutions; Cultural Integration, Rural Development and Technology in Farming.
The Wake Up Africa morning show on Dominion TV is currently Ghana’s premier morning television programme. It is the flagship show, Hosted by the charismatic duo Korku Lumor and Precious Bia Dela. The Wake Up Africa morning show is revolutionising how Ghanaians and Africans begin their day. This inspiring programme sparks domestic and continental conversations through insightful discussions on current affairs, health, fitness, entertainment, and more. It airs weekdays from 6:30 am to 10:00 am GMT, promoting Ghanaian and African culture, values, and talents.
Source: Sharon Frimpomaa Opoku
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