President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, which has become a major recipient of food aid over the past decade, was to deliver remarks on agriculture to his fellow heads of state at the African Union summit that opened Wednesday in the coastal city of Sirte, Libya.

The AU summit theme is "Investment in Agriculture for Economic Growth and Food Security.”

Some observers found it ironic that President Mugabe would talk about food security as he is widely blamed for destroying Zimbabwe's once prosperous agriculture economy by eliminating most white commercial farmers with a land reform program beginning in 2000.

The summit will also be taking up security issues including the civil war in Somalia, the crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan, and also the situation in Zimbabwe, informed sources said.

Elsewhere, Mr. Mugabe dispatched Economic Planning Minister Elton Mangoma to seek aid for agriculture and other sectors from the African Development Bank. 

Mangoma told reporter Blessing Zulu of VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe that he met Tuesday with AfDB President Donald Kaberuka at the institution's headquarters in Tunis to discuss a US$1 billion credit facility to help farming among other purposes.

More reports from VOA's Studio 7 for Zimbabwe...