Addis Ababa (UNA-OIC) – Somali State Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Balal Mohamed Cusman highlighted the need to strengthen the fight against Africa’s challenges.
Cusman made the statement in an intervention at the 39th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union (AU), which took place at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa on October 14-15.
This meeting, which brought together African foreign ministers, was the first of its kind since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the world, where the meetings are held via video conference.
Cusman spoke about the importance of unifying Africa’s mighty efforts to save its peoples and to record a history of a more peaceful and prosperous future. He said that Africa is the most affected by health problems, recalling popular solidarity and awareness of common humanity to combat infectious epidemics, including COVID19, malaria, tuberculosis, Ebola and HIV.
In this regard, the state minister called for investing in Somalia to significantly reduce food insecurity and malnutrition and to enhance local agricultural production instead of importing unnecessary things from abroad. He noted that the challenges must be overcome with cooperation and partnership so that the country becomes an international food basket and developed in the fields of industry, agriculture and health.
