The Gambian-born aspirant for the position of the Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Development in African Union, Mr. Ernest Reuben Aubee has pledged his commitment to ensuring food and nutrition security, harnessing potentials of the blue economy and providing safe and sustainable environment for Africa, if elected.

Aubee, with over 30 years of experience in agriculture and food at the grassroots, national, regional and continental levels, is among the remaining three contenders for the position.

“My vision is to contribute to the realisation of the seven aspirations of Agenda 2063 in which food and nutrition security is guaranteed,” he said.

If voted as the commissioner in the exercise that takes place at the end of this month, Aubee, who has put over 10 years in the Agric department of ECOWAS Commission equally promised to ensure that rural livelihoods are transformed, while blue economy is made a driver for increased economic wellbeing and prosperity of African people.

To achieve this, Aubee assured of institutionalising a strong and strategic leadership in the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment of the union through policy coherence and synergy between AU member states, regional economic communities, development partners and all stakeholders in the various agriculture value chains.

Other strategies towards achieving his set objectives include ensuring policy coherence between the Agenda 2063, Maputo and Malabo Declarations on agricultural development; regional, as well as national agricultural investment plans for the implementation of Africa’s agriculture agenda.

Aubee also promised to ensure a better coordination and implementation of continental agriculture and nutrition policies and programmes among key African institutions.

Other plans include, rationalisation of AU Agriculture Institutions for efficient service delivery, establishing Africa Food Safety Authority as a one-stop shop for all food safety matters and resource mobilisation to boost agricultural development. Describing sustainable environment as a common goal for all Africans, Aubee plans to set up a multi-disciplinary working group that would develop a Blue Economy Strategic Framework and prepare a road map for the development of the sector in line with Agenda 2063 and in consonance with Agenda 2063 and Maritime Strategy 2050.

SOURCE: GUARDIAN