
On Thursday, December 12, 2024 in Brazzaville, Mr. Jean-Baptiste ONDAYE, Congolese Minister of Economy and Finance, opened the meeting devoted to the annual review of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) portfolio in the Republic of Congo, for the year 2024. This ceremony was attended by Mr. Robin Pascal ONGOKA, Chief of Staff, representing the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock, and Noé BATAKA, IFAD Country Director.
"Today's meeting aims to assess the progress made in the partnership between Congo and IFAD. As such, this review is an opportunity to examine the results obtained by the Youth Agriculture and Entrepreneurship Project (PAJE) during 2024; to identify the difficulties encountered and to discuss strategies to overcome these difficulties," Minister Jean-Baptiste ONDAYE said at the outset. In the same vein, the speaker invited participants to engage in the formulation of the project on the Valorization of Agropastoral, Nutrition and Livestock Development Initiatives for Food Sovereignty (VIANDES).
The Head of the Economy and Finance Department took the opportunity to pay tribute to the support Congo receives from IFAD. "Thanks to this support," he stressed, "the Congo has been able to implement initiatives that have transformed the lives of its many rural communities."
However, Mr. Jean-Baptiste ONDAYE did not fail to point out that "much remains to be done to achieve the objectives, as part of the fight for food security, poverty reduction and improving resilience to climate change."
As an indication, agriculture in Congo is one of the six priority areas of the National Development Plan (NDP) 2022-2026. This sector represents an important lever for the diversification of its economy, which remains heavily dependent on oil revenues.
A third of the Congolese population lives in rural areas and 70% of rural households depend on agriculture. This is why IFAD supports strategies to improve the income and food security of the rural poor.
IFAD is a United Nations agency, created in December 1977. Its headquarters are in Rome (Italy).
The Communication Unit of the Ministry of Economy and Finance
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