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At a special event highlighting the partnership
between the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) and Korea held on the
sidelines of the Bank’s Annual Meetings, the role of drone technology to boost
food productivity in Africa, was on full display.
A pilot project, underway in Tunisia, is designed to
reduce food imports. Drone technology is being used to collect and analyse
data, and monitor irrigated areas, combat pests.
The Bank launched the project, in cooperation with
the Busan Metropolitan City in Korea with support from the Korea-Africa
Cooperation fund (KOAFEC).
The session in Malabo included Korea’s ambassador to
Equatorial Guinea H.E Kwak Ji Hwan, Korean technical experts, senior Bank
officials, and private sector representatives.
“We see Korea as a strategic partner with respect to
technology transfer, especially ICT technologies, drone technologies, and
technology to improve crop varieties,” said Martin Fregene, the Bank’s Director
of Agriculture and Agro-Industry.
Four hundred and sixty drone pilots are to be
trained in 14 months.
The use of industrial drones, artificial
intelligence, and cloud computing, in pest control management, security, and
the delivery of supplies in remote areas was extensively discussed.
According to Fregene, following the completion of
the pilot phase, the project will be expanded to other countries and regions in
Africa. “our expectation is that in many cases drone technology can increase
land yields by up to five times.”
In 2017, Africa imported $64.5 billion worth of
food. ‘Feed Africa’ is one of the Bank’s High Five priorities launched in 2016
to transform and industrialize African agriculture and make Africa a net food
exporter by 2025.
The City of Busan showcased the use of drones in
agricultural and urban management and their current application in Africa,
focusing on agro-industrial processing zones (SAPZ), a special flagship
programme of Feed Africa, which will roll out in 16 African countries over the
next four years.
The last annual meetings of the African Development
Bank Group were held in Busan. During the Korea-Africa Forum for Economic
Development (KOAFEC), the government of Korea signed a bilateral agreement for
$5 billion in support for Africa. It has renewed its Korea Trust Fund at the
Bank with an additional $18 million, bringing the fund to about $100 million,
to support capacity building for Africans.
Professor Banji Oyelaran Oyeyinka, the Special
Advisor to the President of the Bank on Industrialization, provided delegates
with an overview of the Bank's ongoing work to establish Special Agricultural
Processing Zones across Africa using advanced technologies as well as
investments in human capacity development.
Partnership between the Bank and the Republic of
Korea began in 1980 when Korea joined the African Development Fund (ADF).
During the 13th replenishment of the Fund, Korea contributed close to $88
million, an increase of 6.84% over the previous replenishment (ADF-12).
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African
Development Bank Group (AfDB).
The African Development Bank Group is Africa’s
premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities:
the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the
Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 41 African countries with an
external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and
the social progress of its 54 regional member states.
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