The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arabs Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed al Nahyan, has expressed ‘great interest’ in exploring investment in the agriculture sector of Liberia.
The Prince said his country currently has agriculture cooperation agreements with several other African countries, and is now keen on ensuring that Liberia be a part of such pacts.
Unlike other countries in the region, Liberia has a smaller population that could make collaboration between the two countries “more feasible,” he said.
The Prince was speaking when a delegation representing President George Weah paid him a courtesy visit during the annual International Defense Exhibition Conference (IDEX) which is underway in Abu Dhabi.
The delegation comprised the Minister of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, Lenn Eugene Nagbe, and Minister of State without Portfolio, Trokon Kpui.
President Weah, who could not attend due to other pressing engagements, according to a dispatch, was sorted to be IDEX’s 2019 guest of honor.
The Liberian President recently declared that as his government rolls out its much-valued road infrastructure development across the country, it will equally place emphasis on agriculture as a corresponding initiative.
Mechanized farming, said the President, was the solution to food insecurity in the country.
In their bilateral discussion with the Crown Prince, Minister Nagbe extended President Weah’s profound gratitude for the UAE’s many humanitarian gestures towards the people of Liberia.
Nagbe made particular mention of the Middle East nation’s recent sponsorship of 1,000 Liberian Muslims to the Hajj in Mecca.
He said the gesture manifested the cordial relationship between both nations and to this the Crown Prince said President Weah hold a special place in the hearts of many of his compatriots.
Minister Nagbe also encouraged the Prince to consider other areas of possible cooperation which are priorities for the Liberian leader, citing education, capacity-building, tourism, economy, infrastructure and health which are crucial to the West African nation’s development.
The Information Minister also told the Crown Prince that President Weah is committed to ensuring that his personal bond with the UAE is translated into a mutually beneficial relationship for both countries.
Also speaking, Minister Trokon Kpui said the government will need all the help it can garner in order to develop its human resources.
The government of Liberia is due to craft new practical and realistic agriculture policies, incentivize the sector by providing access to credit, reduce tariffs on agriculture implements, and provide small machines, seeds and fertilizers, the President told lawmakers in his second Sate-of-the-Nation speech.
The agriculture sector accounts for more than 70 percent of household earnings in Liberia, but subsistence farming has not been able to yield the needed results in alleviating poverty through food sufficiency among the population.
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