MSU President M. Peter McPherson and Alpha Oumar Konare, head of the African Union, have called for a generation-long commitment to Africa - a continent both leaders said is crying out for help.

At the annual meeting of the World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines, Iowa, McPherson announced that he and Konare will work together on the project, called \"Partnership with Africa.\"

McPherson said short-term emergency support offered by the United States is not enough to help improve the security, finance, technology and infrastructure challenges Africa is currently facing. Long-term support and aid is the only way to improve the area, he said.

Biotechnology will be key to helping Africa, McPherson said. The science will increase efforts to manage pests and improve livestock, he said, adding that recent U.S. aid has helped reverse a two-decade downward trend in agricultural work in Africa.

McPherson and Konare will begin their efforts by enhancing support for the United States\' longterm efforts to help Africa.