Taiwan has helped establish Africa’s biggest and most advanced vegetable gene bank, World Vegetable Center-ESA (WorldVeg), in Arusha, Tanzania.
Under the Taiwan Africa Vegetable Initiative (TAVI), Taiwan is helping the region to combat malnutrition and poverty, Taiwan Representative to Somaliland Allen Lou (羅震華) said on Tuesday (March 19), during the gene bank’s commission ceremony.
Taiwan provided NT$200 million (US$6.3 million) to upgrade the gene bank with new facilities “to maintain thousands of vegetable seeds” and staff personnel to look after them, Lou said.
Taiwan stands together with Africa to secure biodiversity, and fight against climate change and poverty, the representative said. “This is truly a successful example of the people-centric ‘Taiwan Model’ of cooperation,” which benefits the people directly and leaves no debts behind, he said.
TAVI was set up in 2018 after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) visited Eswatini, a diplomatic ally, Lou said. Taiwan shares its experiences and is a reliable partner for African nations, he added.
Lou said Taiwan looked forward to more engagements with African countries to explore more cooperation opportunities, Lou said.
Source Taiwan News
