EGYPT/CAMEROON: Egypt and Cameroon sign a food pact

The governments of Egypt and Cameroon have signed a tripartite agreement with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to send Egyptian agricultural technicians to assist Cameroon's agriculture. The accord, signed under the framework of the FAO's Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS), will put the technical assistance service of Egypt at the disposal of Cameroon for two to three years, "expressing a continuing spirit of cooperation between the two African countries," according to a statement by the FAO issued on 5 October.According to the agreement, Egypt will send experts and field technicians to Cameroon to identify, design and implement a number of small rural projects appropriate to the local environment. "The cooperative effort aims to remove socio-economic constraints to the development of food production, including cereals, vegetables, fruits, roots and tubers, small animals, artisan fisheries and aquaculture," the FAO said. The cooperation under the SPFS provides an opportunity to strengthen cooperation among developing countries at different stages of development, with the support of interested donor countries and the FAO, according to the UN agency.