Arab League Deputy Secretary General Ahmed bin Helli will leave for Khartoum Tuesday to attend the third Arab-African ministerial meeting on agricultural development and food security, which kicked off there Monday.

Bin Helli will attend the meeting on behalf of AL chief Ahmed Abul Gheit.

The meeting in the Sudanese capital will outline a file on the Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods, bin Helli said in statements Monday. 

He called for promoting joint investments to achieve food security, especially that Africa and the Arab world suffer from a big shortage in wheat and rice. 

He stressed the need to benefit from offers of Arab and African organizations now that the stage to implement the 2030 millennium goals has started. 

It is also important that Africa and the Arab world exchange expertise in handling challenges, bin Helli said.

The private sector should be encouraged to implement agricultural investments in Africa, the AL official said, noting that the African Union and AL have plans to achieve that.

Source: MENA