Ethiopia has potential to be a top global food exporter, UN coordinator says
Addis Ababa, February 2, 2025 (FMC) – With the right investments and transition towards green, sustainable and productive economy, Ethiopia has a great potential to become one of the leading food crop suppliers in Africa and in the world beyond ensuring its own food security, according to the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Addis Ababa, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov.
In a recent exclusive interview with Fana Media Corporation, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov shared his thoughts on Ethiopia’s initiatives to ensure food security and build resilient food system in the country.
Commending the country’s immense potential in agricultural production and productivity, Dr. Ramiz said; “Ethiopia has a great potential not only to take care of its own population, but well beyond of it at the continental level and be a global exporter of many types of food.”
He also tipped the country to become one of the leading economies in the world in the next couple of decades.
Commenting on Ethiopia’s efforts on food system transformation, he said that the country is in a spearheading role in the African continent. In connection to this, he praised the “very good” food system which was put in place all the way from the World Food Summit several years back.
According to him, that system and structure with coordination from various lines of ministries has actually resulted in a very concerted nationwide program. The program has helped the private sector as well as entrepreneurs at farmers’ level, and brought together partners such as UN into a convergence.
Moreover, Dr. Ramiz hailed the results achieved in egg, wheat, honey, and coffee.
Owing to the country’s transformative initiatives in the agriculture sector, Ethiopia is attracting regional and global conferences and summits, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator said, hoping for more global events in the East African nation.
Speaking on Ethiopia’s efforts to advance food transformation and role of development partners, the UN Coordinator said the country is playing great role in changing the course of African history from recipient of food aid to ensuring own self-sufficiency and food sovereignty.
He mentioned resilient food system and increased food production as well as economic development and progress towards a very different prosperous type of society in the future. In that regard, Dr. Ramiz said that all development partners need to focus and shift greatly towards the resilience building specifically in remote areas to mitigate post-harvest losses.
“For us, for the United Nations, our new strategy for the country for the next five years will be focusing on making food systems central, food system transformation central, along with creations of jobs and making sure that we support a vibrant economy and the rural sector which generates foods, provides nutrition and also income to those who are dealing with this particular matter,” the UN Resident & Humanitarian Coordinator said.
To further advance Ethiopia’s ambitious national initiatives in agriculture, Dr. Ramiz said the UN mission is fully behind the country’s efforts to expand these initiatives.
He believes that the role of private sector in this standpoint is very important.
In ensuring food self-sufficiency and food security, the UN views communities as active agents of change rather than recipients of aid, Dr. Ramiz said, adding that Ethiopia’s Bounty of the Basket initiative plays a great role in that regard.
Stating that he witnessed a good progress in the agricultural sector, he stressed the importance of instilling mentality shift among the society.
By: Mesafint Brlie