Agriculture is the way forward - Vice Prez Mahama

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On a day the world's population hit seven billion, Ghana's Vice President John Mahama says there should be renewed focus on agriculture by developing countries to ensure the growing population is well-fed.

"The challenge of feeding people is going to be one of the greatest threats to the survival of humankind," says Mr Mahama.

He was speaking in an exclusive interview in Perth after attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

In West Africa, "Nigeria alone would by (the year) 2050 have 400 million people... Ghana's population will probably have doubled to 45 or 50 million people."

The Vice President said nations must work together to avoid a repeat of the 2005 global food shortage, where leading food producing nations such as Russia withheld wheat from the world market, causing further harm.

According to the International Monetary Fund, Ghana has the fastest growing economy in the world this year. This is partly due to the fact that it joined petroleum producing nations in the last 12 months.

But Vice President Mahama says the income must be used judiciously.

"We must invest some of the earnings from oil and gas into promoting agriculture...to be able to feed Ghana."

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