Morocco highlights impact of war in Ukraine on food insecurity in Africa

The Speaker of the House of Representatives (lower) of the Moroccan Parliament, Rachid Talbi Alami, warned Wednesday about the impact of the war in Ukraine on food insecurity and inflation in Africa due to, among other things, "the international division of labour" and the "great injustice suffered" by the continent.

Alami made these remarks during the opening of a conference on cooperation between African parliaments on Thursday, at which he stressed the need to increase African investment in structural projects in agriculture, livestock and fisheries.

The Moroccan official also called on the international community to "get rid of its centralism, selfishness and its tendency to favour national interests in order to facilitate the transfer of technology, capital and the results of scientific research and production techniques to the African continent.

Alami also expressed his rejection of describing Africa as a "continent of disaster", stressing that ensuring the continent's security calls into question Africans and the "concepts of international partnership and solidarity" and "also questions Africa's position in international strategies".

"The war in Eastern Europe revealed the extent to which the food situation in Africa is affected by the international geostrategic situation and the extent of the repercussions of the system established by the international division of labour in our countries and the great injustice suffered by our continent. Thus, food prices have risen unbearably and inflation rates have skyrocketed, burdening families and increasing public spending," he warned.

The Moroccan official stressed that this situation "is not a fatality" and explained that Africa has 60% of the arable areas of the total agricultural areas in the world, as well as "billions of cubic metres" of fresh water and forests that can provide pasture for livestock, as well as a young population.