Posted on May, 25, 2025 at 11:26 pm
Mankind has no right to leave 733 million people to the scourge of hunger. In a world that annually produces almost six billion tonnes of food, this is inadmissible. In a world where military spending reached $2.4trn last year, it is unacceptable.
Hunger and poverty do not result from shortages or natural phenomena; often they are outcomes of political decisions that perpetuate exclusion of a major portion of humanity.
It is within this understanding that, this week, Brazil received representatives of 42 African countries and nine international organisations for the second Brazil-Africa Dialogue on Food Security, Combating Hunger and Rural Development.
This meeting is part of Africa Week in Brazil, preceding the state visit of President of Angola João Lourenço on 23 May.
Brazil wants to be a partner on the path toward sovereign insertion of the African Union, which entails an agricultural development strategy that aims to achieve a 45% increase in food production on the continent by 2035. Brazil has much to contribute in this regard.
We have become a farming and food-production powerhouse, thanks to science, technology and incisive state-sponsored actions in promoting agriculture. It is based upon this experience that we wish to foster exchanges of knowledge, the sharing of solutions, and the formation of partnerships.
During their visit to Brazil, African representatives, among them many ministers of agriculture, learned about successful Brazilian experiences.
They learned about the work of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) and of cooperatives that supply initiatives such as the National School Feeding Program (PNAE) that reaches 40 million children.
They saw how semiarid areas of Brazil have been transformed into food-export hubs, through adaptation of water-scarcity technologies, adopting solutions that could be useful in certain regions of Africa.
The dialogue taking place this week is part of a broader agenda. Last November, during the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, we launched the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty. In the six months since then, the alliance has gained more than 180 members, including 95 countries.
Benin, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zambia were selected for accelerated implementation of Global-Alliance projects. These programs will focus on areas such as family farming, school meals, access to water, income transfers and sustainable livestock.
This week, we aimed to identify means for expanding engagement of African countries in this initiative.
I am convinced that cultural, economic and political affinities between Brazil and African nations are essential elements for building the more egalitarian world we all seek.
Africa, after all, has always been a presence in the formation of Brazil. I have often said that Africa is part of Brazil and that Brazil is part of Africa. More than half of the 212 million Brazilians acknowledge African ancestry.
We share the Portuguese language with six African countries. Africa’s contribution to the ethnic and cultural diversity of Brazil is immeasurable. We owe our very way of being to Africa.
My relationship with Africa runs deep. In Addis Ababa, last year, I completed my 21st visit to the continent. With each journey, my admiration for Africa and its peoples is reinforced.
The dialogue currently underway between Brazil and Africa is a landmark in the historical and strategic relationship that unites our peoples.
Strengthening relations with the countries of Africa is a priority of my administration, reflecting historic ties, shared values, convergent interests and a commitment to cooperation based on solidarity, mutual respect, and the promotion of social inclusion and sustainable development.
We believe that Africa is poorly represented, and badly under-estimated. Beyond the vast opportunity manifest in African markets, we highlight people who make a difference; leaders turning the tide, youth driving change, and an indefatigable business community. That is what we believe will change the continent, and that is what we report on. With hard-hitting investigations, innovative analysis and deep dives into countries and sectors, The Africa Report delivers the insight you need.
Source: Africa Report