G8 leaders have agreed to boost aid to Africa by $25 billion by
2010. The G8 countries include USA, Canada, Britain, France,
Japan, Russia, Germany and Italy. As expected, Africa is in
celebration mood. To many, this announcement heralds the demise
of poverty in Africa. No more hunger, no more deaths by easily
preventable diseases. Africa will be saved from all manners of
miseries. The doubling of aid would emancipate this desolate
continent from the yokes of destituteness and hopelessness.
These expectations are expected in a continent where more than
75 per cent of the population live on less than a dollar a day.
The million dollar question, however, is, will doubling of aid,
to Africa, alone, enhance sustainable development? The answer is
no. Africa has, in the past, refused to embrace poverty
alleviation initiatives introduced by the very countries that it
is begging aid from. Take the case of biotechnology. G8
countries continue to mint billions of dollars from genetically
modified food. The latest report by the International Service
for the Acquisition of Agri-Business Applications (ISAAA)
forecasts the 2005 global market value for biotech crops to be
US$ 5 billion. Unfortunately, Africa will derive negligible
benefits from the sale of biotech products. The continent is
still dilly-dallying on whether to embrace biotechnology. While
other countries are scrambling to increase acreage of GM crops,
Africa is still procrastinating - worrying about environmental
and health impact of GM crops, which science has already
clarified.
Isn't time for rich countries to demand that Africa expresses
willingness to embrace modern farming technologies so as to
reduce its reliance on foreign aid? There is, certainly, no
other way to be self-sufficient in food production than to swim
by the waves!
The US and Canada, for instance, are reaping huge economic
benefits from genetically modified crops. And they happen to be
more sympathetic to the African cause. It is ironical that
Africa expects them to be more generous with the money accrued
from a technology it despises. Africa cannot eat its cake and
have it. If it cannot borrow a leaf from these biotech giants,
then, it makes no sense to beg for aid from them!
Biotech has already boosted the economies of India, Argentina,
Brazil, Uruguay, Romania, Mexico, Philippines, Australia and
Spain. What's Africa waiting for? Africa, the Green Revolution
by-passed you. India and Pakistan embraced the Green Revolution.
It revolutionized their economies. They are now basking in
glory, with plenty to eat and export. These, and other Asian
countries, no longer rely on relief food. It is time for Africa
to follow suit.
South Africa, to its credit, is the only African country growing
genetically modified crops for commercial purposes. Already, the
country has 0.5 million hectares of land under GM cultivation.
This, however, is a drop in the ocean considering that global
area of approved biotech crops, currently, stands at 81 million
hectares. But it is a step towards the right direction. South
Africa no longer experience food deficits. In fact, it is a
major food provider to famine-stricken countries such as
Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique, all of which are yet to embrace
biotechnology.
This is the path the rest of Africa should follow. Instead of
begging the West for aid, Africa should strive to share the
spoils of such technologies as biotechnology. This is the only
and surest way of alleviating poverty.
About the author:
James Wachai is a communication specialist who uses his
expertise to increase public understanding of science and
technology, specifically biotechnology. Read more from James at
http://www.gmoafrica.org.
