Annan to focus on African food security after leaving UN

Outgoing United Nations Secretary- General Kofi Annan said Wednesday he would take a long family break after leaving the seat of diplomacy and later concentrate on helping Africa to achieve self-sufficiency in food.

"It is tragic that as African governments, we cannot feed ourselves," Annan lamented, saying that he would dedicate his entire time to helping African countries adopt food technologies that would enable them to achieve food sufficiency.

Annan observed that the African continent was faced with many problems including HIV/AIDS, unemployment, critical agricultural situation and food security. He said once he leaves the UN he will direct his efforts towards improving agricultural productivity on the continent.

"We are the only continent that cannot feed itself and as we move on things are getting much more difficult, so we need to focus on the essential area of agriculture which also creates lots of employment for the rural population," he said.

Annan, who addressed a news conference in Nairobi before flying to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where he was expected to address a key meeting on Sudan's Darfur crisis, dismissed suggestions that he was intending to run for the presidency in Ghana.

Annan said his eventful tenure at the helm of the world body had borne positive fruits for Africa, noting that he leaves the office at a time when there are fewer wars in Africa than there were before.

He cited the return of peace in Burundi, Liberia and the successful elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which he described as a country the size of Europe.

"I am pleased that there are fewer wars in Africa than there was 10 years ago. There is peace between Ethiopia and Eritrea even though we have not demarcated the border. If we are able to pacify a country the size of Europe, that would have a major impact," Annan told journalists at the press conference.

Speaking earlier at the function to honor him for his contribution to humanity by the Kenyan government, Annan said internal conflicts sooner or later become regional with refugees moving into the region destabilizing societies.

Source: Xinhua