Borderless Alliance resolves to promote agriculture without deforestation

The age-long menace of deforestation associated with farming will soon be a thing of the past as Borderless Alliance is championing a course to combat the same within the agricultural sector across Africa.

In his address at the 10th Borderless Alliance, President Jonas Lago revealed that African States are witnessing capacity for resilience in general while the West African region has allowed them to weather the economic storms, some of which are showing signs of recovery, by drawing lessons to help to move forward.

He posed a question, "Is there a green light for global recovery? Have we overcome all the obstacles? Certainly not! Indeed, the new situation emerging from the Russia-Ukrainian conflict and political tensions in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger aggravated by ECOWAS sanctions imposed on certain States, calls for caution and adjustment. "

The Borderless Alliance President revealed that regardless of the challenges, Borderless Alliance has remained relevant in its quest for the removal of barriers to free trade and smooth inter-state transit adding, "Indeed, when borders between neighboring states were closed(some still are), an entire chain of economic activities were paralyzed, causing disruption of supplies and increasing the cost of transit for goods across the region.

The Alliance's expertise can, and must be used, to advance economic migration and preserve the economic interest of States, businesses, and the people of West Africa in the face of such crises.

" The conference, is themed, "Strengthening Regional Agricultural Value Chain to Compete in a Global Market". He said, "Many observers wonder how Africa has been overtaken by other global players such as India and China in rice production. Or how the main cocoa-producing countries in West Africa only reap 6% of the financial profit of the global chocolate market.

Indeed, how can a continent with so much potential in arable land and human resources expect to continue to play second fiddle in the area of agricultural performance or food security?" "Infrastructure deficit, low level of agricultural products and climate change, have combined to pose a serious challenge to agricultural production were some of the major challenges of trade. The insufficiency of intercontinental trade is also a glaring shortcoming, as documented by many institutions, including the United Nations.

According to the International Trade Center (ITC) "intra -ECOWAS trade is 15% of exports to member countries and 5% of imports from member countries" he observed.

This was made known at the 10th Annual Borderless Conference on, Wednesday, 25 October, 2023 in Tema within the Greater Accra Region.

The Annual Borderless Conference is necessary to address the intra-African Trade which seems dwindling in the face of imminent bottlenecks.

But to address these challenges, a message from the President, of Borderless Alliance(BA), Jonas Lago disclosed that his outfit remains relevant in its quest for the removal of barriers to free trade and smooth intra-state transit.

He disclosed further that Borderless Alliance aims to promote a vision of agriculture without deforestation, an intensive and competitive agricultural practice that respects the environment and can reverse the trend of dependence on food imports in West Africa.

The ideal, he said builds on the AfCFTA to bring the largest free trade zone in the world regarding membership bringing together a vast global market of more than 1.3 billion consumers, profitable for agriculture and industrial production.

Ms. Benonita Bismark, CEO, of Ghana Shippers' Authority in her address at the event said economies that have thrived around the world are those that ensure seamless movement of goods, services, and people, ensuring that essential products reach their intended destinations with minimum delay.

"The ever-evolving nature of businesses within the subregion necessitates improved transportation systems, the removal of non-tariff barriers, and the elimination of unwarranted economic obstacles to enhance the competitiveness of industries".

She said Africa has turned inward in the wake of AfCFTA to a significant portion of its needs, build industries, create and distribute wealth within its borders, and empower industries to leverage their competitive advantages on the global scale.

She disclosed further that through collaborative efforts with the Borderless Alliance, the Ghana Shippers' Authority has developed an E-Platform that allows shippers to obtain real-time assistance when they encounter challenges while using Ghana's corridors; whether for internal trade facilitation or transit to land-linked countries like Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

The collaboration, she said has also facilitated the gathering of stakeholders from both organizations to raise awareness and build capacity on issues related to trade in the sub-region.