São Paulo – President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said, on Monday, that Brazil is engaged in the support to the development of Africa, mainly regarding hunger alleviation. Lula spoke at the opening of the Brazil-Africa Dialogue on Food Safety, Hunger Alleviation and Rural Development, a meeting between Brazilian leaders and over 40 African ministers, which is taking place in Brasília. “The 21st century must be that of the African renaissance and we would like to share our experience,” said Lula.
According to the Brazilian president, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) should be the main means to put cooperation in practice. He deemed the company responsible for the “technological revolution” of the sector. Lula recalled the production potential that the African savannah may have and mentioned the Brazilian savannah as examples of a region developed through technological assistance.
"Part of the savannah has the same characteristics as the cerrado [the Brazilian savannah], an area that, 40 years ago, was considered unproductive. All that was needed was care with the earth so that it could become the main area for grain cultivation in the country,” he said. The president also mentioned the Program for Acquisition of Foods (PAA) in Family Farming, executed by the National Food Supply Company (Conab). According to Lula, there are plans for adoption of 10 pilot-projects in Africa, with the purchase of food by the government.
President Lula also stated that up to the end of the year, the Portuguese-Afro-Brazilian University (Unilab), to be headquartered in Redenção, in the state of Ceará, should start being built. According to the Brazilian president, the university should have a capacity for 10,000 students and the objective is promoting cultural and student exchange with the African continent, as well as providing incentives to studies focussing the development of science and technology.
According to Lula, in the sidelines of the event a Ministry of Defence study for the expansion of flights between Brazil and the African countries should be completed. To Lula, this increase is fundamental to guarantee the exchange of experiences with the necessary ease. “If there are no flights to guarantee the right to movement of scientists and businessmen we are not going to manage the development we want,” he said.
*Translated by Mark Ament
