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Ministerial Conference on Harnessing Science and Technology to Increase Agricultural Productivity in Africa:  West African Perspectives
 Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
June 21 – 23, 2004  

Minister Diallo, ladies and gentlemen: Let me first congratulate the members of the press for staying until the end of the conference. We were pleased to have you here. I know that many of you covered the entire conference.

Minister Diallo, I want to thank you and your government once again for hosting this conference, providing the excellent facilities, and making everyone feel welcome with your gracious hospitality. I want to thank you for your personal leadership.

I have learned that your country’s name translates as "Land of Honorable People." Everything I have seen here tells me that the Burkinabe live up to their name.

Our shared vision is that the lands of honorable people – this country and throughout Africa – also become the lands of productive and prosperous people – people fully engaged in the global economy and enjoying the fruits of that engagement.

My sense is that this conference brought us a step closer to that goal. It provided a unique opportunity for the top policymakers in West Africa to focus on what science and technology, in a supportive policy environment, can do to help address the needs of their farmers, their consumers, and their economies.

On the first day of this conference, a journalist here asked me, what is the best thing that this conference can bring to Africa. I answered in one word: Knowledge.

There is a lot of technology now available in the world that can make a significant positive difference in people’s lives here in West Africa. The key is getting that technology to the people and helping them make use of it – adapting it as necessary and making it easily accessible.

Agriculture is the mainstay of most African economies and the source of livelihood for the rural majority. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organizations and many other international organizations fully agree that the best way to reduce hunger and malnutrition is to raise agricultural productivity – to increase the quantity of food and improve its quality.

A relatively small increase in agricultural productivity across West Africa could have a tremendous impact on improving the quality of life for many millions of people. It would improve food security, provide more jobs, increase trade, and increase economic growth and incomes.

Over the last three days, this conference brought together four presidents and 18 ministers from West African nations, who demonstrated their interest, commitment, and political support by being here. It brought more than 300 total participants from 22 countries in Africa, Europe, South America, and the United States.

It brought ministers of agriculture, of trade and of environment together with ministers of science and technology. It also brought together senior policymakers from West Africa with leading scientists from the region and internationally.

It provided the opportunity for everyone to share information on technologies, policies and partnerships to increase agricultural productivity in West Africa. It helped to sharpen several issues and identify some possible next steps.

One tangible next step is that West African ministers have decided to meet again soon in Bamako, Mali, to continue their discussions and to build on the progress achieved here.

The four workshops at this conference covered:

Water management and conservation is a critical issue here in West Africa, and the water workshop examined specific irrigation technologies suitable for small farmers. The exhibition area also featured a wide range of water technologies.

We found broad recognition here that private investment is essential for development, and that a supportive policy environment is necessary to attract this investment. Among other things, this requires good governance, transparency, and science-based regulations. In West Africa, we are seeing encouraging progress, and the Millennium Challenge Account provides a reward for policy reforms in these areas.

Partnerships between public and private institutions, and between researchers and farmers are a key to funding and guiding agricultural research efforts to appropriate applications, and making that research commercially viable and readily available. Our experience with the science and technology conferences held in Sacramento and Costa Rica suggests new partnerships will evolve out of the contacts made at this conference.

Finally, let me say a few words about biotechnology. Although it was only one of several technologies discussed here, it has gotten most of the press attention.

It is not our goal to force any technology on anyone. But, there are very positive signs of growing acceptance around the world of the products of modern biotechnology – and the benefits those products offer.

In one of yesterday’s session, participants heard from a South African Bt cotton farmer, a French farmer, and a representative from the West African farmers’ organization.

Clearly, there are differences among countries on biotechnology policies. But many countries now believe the debate about "whether biotechnology?" is over and do not want to be left behind once again as the science moves forward. Rather, they now want to focus on how best to embrace the technology to facilitate its benefits for their farmers, consumers and the environment.

But, there clearly is the need to continue to educate and inform people. Several misconceptions about agricultural biotechnology continue to abound:

The memorandum of understanding between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the African Agricultural Technology Foundation signed at this conference provides a much needed new mechanism. It enables USDA’s broad experience and expertise in a wide range of technologies to become available to West African researchers and then to its small farmers.

In his opening address, President Compaore succinctly stated the situation in this region: "Despite all the efforts which have been made over four decades, agriculture in Africa…is still fragile and [not productive enough] to meet the needs of a fast-growing population."

With the continued commitment of leaders here, strong regional cooperation, supportive polices, and a science-based regulatory environment, we believe that this can be a decade of rising productivity and prosperity for Africa.

A conference like this, here in West Africa, is a reminder that friends like the United States may play a helpful role, but Africa holds the key to its own development.