The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) says a unified regional approach will guarantee food security in Eastern Africa and overcome persistent trade barriers.

ECA’s acting director in Eastern Africa, Andrew Mold, said this in a statement published on the commission’s website.

He spoke during a side event at the 57th session of the ECA’s Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The event had the theme, “Food Security and Cross-Border Trade: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities Amid the Implementation of the Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).”

The theme highlighted the region’s shift from being a net food exporter in the early 2000s to a net importer, with significant disparities among countries.

Mr Mold noted that while some nations like Tanzania and Uganda had emerged as leading food exporters, particularly in commodities like maize, other countries continued to struggle with food insecurity.

Farayi Zimudzi, sub-regional coordinator for Eastern Africa at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), stressed the urgency of increasing agricultural productivity to keep pace with rapid population growth.

She advocated for greater investment in research and development, particularly in high-yield crop varieties and improved livestock production.

Channing Arndt, director of the Centre for Global Trade Analysis, noted that high tariffs and non-tariff barriers continued to impede the free movement of agricultural products across Africa.

Experts at the event highlighted the transformative potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in boosting intra-regional food trade, particularly in processed agri-food products.

They called for strengthened regional cooperation to ensure the effective implementation of the AfCFTA, the removal of trade barriers, and increased investment in agricultural development.

ECA simulations suggest that with full implementation of the AfCFTA, intra-continental food trade could increase by over 60 per cent by 2045, providing a major boost to food security in Eastern Africa and across the continent.

(NAN)