The Managing Director, Corporate Services and Operations of United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Yuko Yasunaga, has identified that the agriculture sector will accelerate the growth of Africa if massive investment is done in the sector.
He made this known recently while speaking on behalf of UNIDO’s Director-General Gerd Müller at a virtual side event organised by UNIDO and the African Union Commission (AUC), on ‘Building Resilient and Sustainable Agro Industries: Enhancing Africa’s Agricultural Potential.’
The event was held on the sidelines of the recent Eighth Tokyo International Conference on Africa’s Development (TICAD8), led by the Government of Japan.
Yasunaga said UNIDO, as the lead agency for implementing the Third Industrial Development Decade for Africa (IDDA III) initiative, was committed to the continent’s industrialisation.
He appreciated the role played by Japan in Africa’s development and Japan’s active collaboration with UNIDO.
The Head of Industry at the AUC Department of Trade and Industry Hussein Hassan highlighted the need to build resilient and sustainable agro industries.
“This is vital to enhance Africa’s ability to drive structural transformation and achieve the overarching objective of feeding its 1.3 billion people,” he said.
Hassan commended Japan-Africa relations under the TICAD process and UNIDO’s role in accelerating industrial development.
He called upon the partners to support the African Union Summit on Industrialisation and Economic Development to be held in November in Niger. The summit provides an international platform to devise new strategic policies, resource mobilisation and innovative partnerships play a key role in agro-industrial development of the continent.
