On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Macky Sall took part in a series of meetings on financing education and food security, and called for more investment in these sectors. In New York, it is a sequence of events beyond the speeches at the United Nations. Macky Sall participated in a meeting on food security, co-organised by Senegal, the EU, Spain and the United States. We are talking about a major challenge with more than 800 million people suffering from hunger, an increase of 150 million since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the latest FAO report on the state of food security and nutrition in the world. « The situation has worsened further with the impact of the war in Ukraine which has led to a surge in the prices of food products, fertiliser (which has become three times more expensive than in 2021), hydrocarbons, transport and logistics. Added to this are the effects of climate change,  » Macky Sall explained. For him, « all countries suffer, more so the most vulnerable, hence the interest in working together to find concerted solutions. This is a very complicated situation for some countries. What is urgent today is to act together to ensure open and transparent grain and fertiliser markets, so that all countries can access them, in accordance with international trade rules. Then, beyond the cyclical solutions, it is necessary to create the conditions for sustainable agricultural production, through a proactive approach and consequent means, » Macky Sall added. To illustrate, he gives Senegal as an example: « Despite the crisis, in two years, we have increased the budget of our agricultural campaign by 75% which corresponds to the wintering period, in addition to other programs to support agriculture, engaging young people and women to accelerate our process of food sovereignty. » According to him, the continent must take its destiny into its own hands. « With 30 million km2, more than 60% of the world’s arable land and abundant water resources, Africa has the potential to feed itself and help feed the world. What is needed, both for agriculture and fertiliser, is to build renewed partnerships, based on our complementarities in natural resources, investment and technology, to produce more, transform and create shared prosperity, » he continued. What is also needed are highly trained human resources. This will only be possible with a well-functioning education system.

 

During a panel on education financing organised by the AU, together with UNESCO, UNICEF and WFP, Macky Sall insisted on the financing of education. This will « make it more efficient, accessible to all and adapted to the realities of its time, it is a challenge common to all countries, especially in Africa, where the State remains the main donor of the education system ». For him, « The success in education requires the mobilisation of all, state and non-state actors, because education is one of the best investments in youth and for the future of human societies ». To strengthen capital, he recalled the validation of certain initiatives such as the Quality, Equity and Transparency Improvement Programme and the efforts made to build high-performance « schooling ». « Today, the combined budget of the Education, Vocational Training and Higher Education sectors represents more than 26% of our national budget, a ratio well above the average of 20% recommended in SDG4, » says Macky Sall. He added: « This has allowed us to multiply the construction and equipment of school and university infrastructure, as well as the recruitment of teachers, and at the same time improve their salary treatment. » In spite of this beautiful picture, he hopes for the total elimination of precarious school shelters, the increase in school enrolment in scientific fields, technical and mathematics, the strengthening of technical and vocational education with the objective of orienting 30% of students from the basic cycle (primary), to better promoting training in skills and youth employability…

By Justin GOMIS / justin@lequotidien.sn

  • Translation By Ndey T. SOSSEH / Serigne S. DIAGNE