African governments sell their own lands

AFRICAN governments have begun the process of selling off large tracts of arable land to foreign countries as millions of their people are in desperate need of food aid.

In Ethiopia, roughly four million acres – an area equivalent to a fifth of the size of Ireland – has been made available to the highest bidders.

Foreign governments have been invited to use the land to grow food to feed their own people. Already, thousands of companies from China, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere are queuing up with greasy chequebooks at the ready.