FindAfrica Blog

According to reports, Islamist insurgents who control large parts of southern Somalia have told the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) to stop importing goods into the country. They claim that imports have devastated local agriculture. But why would they do this? Apparently, the insurgents are hoping to boost their support in farming areas.

Helping local farmers is a worthy goal. Limiting imports to spur local production is also not necessarily a bad idea. But like so many ideas inflicted on Africa by Africans and non-Africans alike, the devil is in the details and implementation. Essentially, Somali farmers, at their current rate of production, are incapable of providing enough food for their people. This means Somalia (or here, the WFP) must import food into the country or people will go hungry. But don’t tell that to the insurgents. They have an idea are they are willing to run with it, the facts be damned.

Here is another idea: rather than demanding that the WFP stop importing goods into the country, the Islamists could demand that the WFP buy the excess of all locally produced goods. Depending on the facts on the ground and how such a program is implemented, this could spur even more Somalis to engage in farming considering there is a ready buyer. It could also cut costs for the WFP because the WFP won’t have to pay for transportation of the goods it buys in Somalia. And happier, more numerous farmers just might support the Islamists. Who knows, perhaps some day if enough Somalis engage in farming, they may produce enough food to feed their country. In other words, there is a potential win, win, win, scenario lurking around the corner.

Unfortunately, knowing my Africa, it will be a loose, loose, loose scenario. The Islamists will delay some WFP shipments causing some Somalis to go hungry. The WFP will spend unnecessary funds to restore the imports. The farmers will see no significant increase in sales if any increase at all. And the Islamists will see no increase support from the farmers.

Sigh.

Somali Piracy: An Escalating Security Dilemma
Piracy off the coast of Somalia has grown exponentially in recent years. Only a unified stance by the international community that addresses a two-part strategy can facilitate the eradication of Somali piracy…. [read at Africa Policy Journal]

Through the Looking Glass: A Comparative Case Study Analyzing the Origins of Central Command and Africa Command
This article examines the impetus for the establishment of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) in an effort to better understand how perceived threats to U.S. national security have evolved since the Cold War. The commands were created because new threats to American national security were inadequately addressed by the preexisting military organization…. [read at Africa Policy Journal]

Africa’s Urban Farmers
Across Africa, political leaders, long dismissive of rural concerns, have awakened to the importance of agriculture and the role that educated people, even those living in major cities, can play in farming. With prices for basic foodstuffs at their highest levels in decades, many urbanites feel well rewarded by farming…. [read at Project Syndicate]

Stabilizing the Horn
After almost two decades as a failed state torn by civil war, perhaps the world should begin to admit that Somalia — as it is currently constructed — is beyond repair. If so, the place to start is the northernmost region, Somaliland, situated strategically at the opening to the Red Sea and already more or less autonomous and stable….[read at Project Syndicate]

A Less-is-More Growth Strategy for Africa
If African countries were to adopt only one policy to boost economic growth and improve macroeconomic stability, they should reduce the number of currencies in circulation across the continent as quickly as possible. Currencies, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, are like democracies: the best way to preserve their integrity is to share them…. [read at Project Syndicate]