Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and former Atlanta mayor, Andrew Young, urges the biotech foods industry to share research and development in genetically modified foods with an African continent in desperate need of a stable food supply.
Mr. Young spoke at a press conference held June 28 at The Carter Center as part of the East Africa Summit 2001, a symposium discussing economic opportunities in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as the ramifications, both economic and political, of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA.)
New modified foods technology, which includes crops designed to resist pests and disease, could go a long way in creating the solid agricultural base Africa currently lacks, explained Mr. Young through his work with Goodworks International, a consulting firm specializing in building business relationships between the U.S and Africa.
And while biotechnology is not the sole answer to Africa’s ills, he said, curing nutritional deficiencies through vitamin-enriched corn, for example, is a step in the right direction.
“There is a cure for hunger,” asserted Mr. Young. “And that’s good food.”
Mr. Young also called the fledging AGOA “an attempt on the part of Congress to build a trade bridge, not formerly in existence, between the U.S. and Africa.” The agreement as it stands now, he said, may be watered-down, but provides an important framework upon which to build the African-American trade relationship.
For more information about the East Africa 2001 Summit, visit <http://www.eastafrica2000.com/>www.eastafrica2000.com. For more information about opportunities and partnerships, both corporate and research, visit the Goodworks International home page at <http://www.goodworksintl.com/>www.goodworksintl.com or contact at (404) 524-5700.