Building a bridge from agriculture to African prosperity

Friday, May 30, 2014

At Kazungula, on the Zambezi River, four countries almost meet: Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia and my country, Botswana. I say “almost” because there is a tiny stretch where two ferries ply the river directly between Botswana and Zambia.

But the ferries’ capacity is no match for the trucks queuing to cross. Ferries often break down, and trucks can wait up to two weeks to cross the river. Much of their cargo is agricultural produce, which will spoil.

Kazungula is a potent symbol of a much greater disconnection. The majority of Africa’s poor live in rural areas, but agriculture has been neglected, along with many of the support networks it needs to thrive.

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Building a bridge from agriculture to African prosperity

At Kazungula, on the Zambezi River, four countries almost meet: Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia and my country, Botswana. I say “almost” because there is a tiny stretch where two ferries ply the river directly between Botswana and Zambia.

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Inspect the voters' roll!