Turning agriculture into a business

COPENHAGEN: A plan by the Africa Commission to side-step African governments and target the private sector to invigorate the continent's business and agricultural capacity, thereby stimulating job creation, was launched in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, on 6 May 2009.

15 May 2009

Africa Commission commissioners Donald Kaberuka, president of the African Development Bank and (right) Jakaya Kikwete, president of Tanzania © Guy Oliver/IRIN

According to the commission's committee members - heads of state, members of civil society, academia and international and regional organisations, mainly from Africa - the proposals break from the ever-growing catalogue of help schemes for the world's poorest continent.

The main goal of the Danish government's initiative is to put economic growth and employment in Africa higher on the international agenda, and improve the effectiveness of international development cooperation with the continent. The new US$3 billion financing scheme will provide the rarest of commodities to entrepreneurs and small businesses - access to finance.

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