An the face of the food crisis in parts of Africa, the United States wants to enter into a strategic partnership with the African Union. “We are joining forces to create a more resilient food system and to improve the way communities grow, sell and buy their own food,” said US President Joe Biden on Thursday at the end of a summit with African leaders and leaders heads of government in Washington.
This also includes investments in infrastructure that promote sustainable food security, as well as improvements in irrigation or grain storage. It is also working with the private sector to expand investment in fertilizers, among other things.
Blocked Grain
The effects of the corona pandemic, the climate crisis, rising energy prices and conflicts, above all the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, had interrupted global supply chains and caused global food prices to rise drastically. The Ukraine war and blocked shipments of millions of tons of grain have further increased the risk of famine in the Horn of Africa. In Somalia in particular, millions of people are at risk of starvation because of an unprecedented drought.
Biden also campaigned for the African Union to be included in the G-20 group of countries. The African Union must become a “permanent member” of the group of major industrialized and emerging countries in which South Africa is already represented, the US President said on Thursday. “Africa belongs at the table in every room where global challenges are discussed, and in every institution where discussions take place.”
At the UN general debate in September, Biden had already spoken out in favor of giving Africa a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. He now repeated this demand and expanded it to include the G20 group.