“Africa is ripe for agricultural change,” H.E. Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at the African Union tells Farming First in the latest interview filmed exclusively for Farming First TV.

She highlights, however, that the lack of capital to acquire technology remains a major barrier. Another key challenge for Africa is deficient infrastructure. The African Union believes this continental problem requires a continental solution.

“The vision of the African Union is to have an integrated continent. Intra-Africa trade is so important,” H.E. Tumusiime explains.

The African Union Commission (AUC) is one of the developers of the Programme for Infrastructure Development for Africa (PIDA), which promotes regional economic integration. The aim is to build “a robust system for intra-Africa trade, it will be a foundation for intra-Africa trade,” H.E. Tumusiime believes.

She also highlights the need for developing countries to work together and points to the United Nations’ South-South Cooperation programme. “Countries like Brazil have done well, countries like India have done better than we have.”

Watch our video for the full interview with H.E. Tumusiime Rhoda Peace