Diplomacy

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In Latest Sign of Growing Ties, African Ministers Attend Israeli Agricultural Conference

by TheTower.org Staff |

Foreign ministers and other high-level representatives from 13 Western African nations are attending an Israeli agricultural summit that began Monday, the latest sign of improving Israeli-African diplomatic relationships.

The conference, which is called “Enhancing Sustainable Agricultural Productivity in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions,” is sponsored by Mashav, Israel’s international development agency, and the Economic Community of West African States.

“During the conference, the ministers and delegates will learn about agricultural technology produced in Israel, with an emphasis on dealing with arid climatic conditions, a topic which African agriculture ministers are particularly interested in due to a similar climate prevailing in their countries,” said Jonathan Blum, a spokesperson for Israeli Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel, who is scheduled to speak at the conference.

Foreign ministers from Nigeria, Togo, Liberia, Guinea, Cape Verde, Gambia, and Sierra Leone, are in attendance, as well as senior officials from Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, and Senegal.

Netanyahu has announced plans to visit the ECOWAS nations soon, which would be the latest in a series of Israeli diplomatic breakthroughs. In July, Netanyahu embarked on a historic tour of East Africa and restored diplomatic ties with the Muslim-majority nation of Guinea, and in September met with 15 African heads of state and ambassadors at the United Nations General Assembly. A separate group of African diplomats toured the Old City of Jerusalem last week.

“Israel is coming back to Africa; Africa is coming back to Israel,” Netanyahu said in March. “It’s happening in a big way. It’s happening now, but it should have happened a long time ago. It’s happening now because it’s so clear that this is good for Africa and it’s good for Israel. We face a multitude of challenges and opportunities.”

[Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs ]

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