Meeting with the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Republic of Cameroon, His Excellency Gabriel Mbairobe

Yaoundé - During an official visit to the Republic of Cameroon, FAO Director-General Dr. QU Dongyu, met in Yaoundé with His Excellency, Gabriel Mbairobe, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Republic of Cameroon.

The Minister welcomed the Director-General and expressed appreciation for the strong and close cooperation between Cameroon and FAO

The Director-General thanked the Minister for the warm hospitality and congratulated Cameroon for excellent working conditions and high level of expertise and professionalism at LANAVET. He also commended the people of Cameroon for their dedication and discipline, which is demonstrated and evident in their cooperation projects with FAO.

The Minister informed that Cameroon would have a National Livestock Census this year and after completion it will conduct population census to bring balance in agricultural needs and the needs of the people. He stated that the census will also assist with agrifood systems transformation and rural livestock development.

The Minister requested FAO’s assistance with the promotion of banana as their priority product under the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) initiative, and the Director-General reaffirmed that FAO would extend its technical support as required.

Both agreed that evidence-based policies and integration among different science sectors are key to agrifood systems transformation. They further agreed that evolving technology-based solutions are needed in developing countries to address food security emergencies and as a result technology and science transfers should be prioritized.

The importance of private sector partnerships was also recognized as key to address global challenges, together with good strategies and investments. They agreed that inequalities need to be addressed to mitigate urban migration which has adverse effects on the environment such as land degradation.

Finally, the paid agreed that the FAO Green Cities Initiative would help Cameroon to address urbanization.