The Former President, John Dramani Mahama, has revealed that it is not apt for Africa to blame the current food shortages on the African Continent on the Russia-Ukraine war.
He made this assertion in an interview not long after the World Bank said the world is facing a “human catastrophe” from a food crisis arising from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Africa cannot blame the current Russia-Ukraine war as the cause of hunger on the continent. When they say there is a Russia-Ukraine war creating hunger in Africa, it’s crazy. With the kind of land, water, and sunlight we have here, why would the Ukraine war be a problem for us? Every country and continent must take advantage of what it’s comparatively good at.”
John Dramani Mahama- Former President, Ghana
Supporting the argument, Mr. Enoch Vukey, in a recent interview with the Vaultz News, noted that Ghana and, for that matter, Africa should not blame Russia for its current crisis. He said this after the Russian Embassy issued a disclaimer for not being the reason behind the continent’s crisis.
Russian Embassy issues Disclaimer
According to the World Bank’s latest report, there would be a knock-on ‘crisis within a crisis’ arising from the inability of developing countries to service their large pandemic debts amid rising food and energy prices.
According to the Russian Embassy in the disclaimer issued, the current agro-hardship in Ghana results from high demand and rising prices of food, raw materials, and transportation services as part of post-Covid-19 recovery.
It argued that the current condition in the agricultural space is not a result of happenings within the last two months but due to a steady trend of happenings on the global stage in the previous two years.
“The current situation in the food markets is not a result of two months of this year, but a steady trend of at least two years. Food prices started rising in mid-2020 and reached an all-time high in February 2022. This is a real market shock caused by high demand and rising prices on food, raw materials, and transportation services, including freight, in the post-Covid recovery period.”
Russian Embassy
The Russian government, in its disclaimer, urged all Governments to view the current situation through the lens of its vital national interest, adding that all stakeholders should voice their firm position by lifting the unilateral coercive measures to downgrade the tensions around transportation-related, logistical and financial aspects and ensure unimpeded deliveries and reverse the economics back to seeking stability of global agricultural, energy and financial markets.
Some agri-experts have advised Governments on the African continent not to push blame but instead take responsibility for building a Self-Reliant-Africa.
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