While inclusive development has remained elusive in Africa, this could change if countries begin to invest in the agriculture sector to implement programs under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP).
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Development at the African Union Commission Josefa Sacko is calling for continuous engagement with the African leaders, “Let them be onboard, let them be able to define the priority areas when they are coming up with annual budgets,” she says and adds, “if you have a project yet you don’t allocate funds to it, it will not succeed.”
Sacko who spoke at the Validation workshop of the Ten-Year CAADP Strategy and Action Plan (2026-2035), said that while there have been marked successes in both the Maputo Declaration of 2003 and the Malabo Declaration of 2014, the next ten years are the defining moment for the agriculture sector on the continent towards realizing the envisaged goals.
She notes that the Malabo Declaration which was penned in Malabo in Equatorial Guinea in 2014 is ending in 2025 hence the need to come up with an action plan that will guide the continent for the next 10 years.
She says that 20 years of the implementation of CAADP has seen an increase in Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), “average incomes, agricultural output and productivity, agricultural trade and agricultural investments as well as a significant reduction in hunger and poverty.”
“The Post-Malabo CAADP Agenda presents a pivotal moment for reshaping Africa’s priorities. While building upon CAADP’s existing strengths, it will strategically adapt to tackle emerging challenges and align with global trends,” says Sacko.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Development, notes that since 2000, sub-Saharan Africa has achieved the highest rate of agricultural growth “more than any other region throughout the world, with an approximate growth of 4.3 percent.”
While noting that CAADP has become an Agenda 2063 flagship program, the Commissioner says that “CAADP has become the pivotal framework for catalyzing agricultural transformation across Africa,” adding that the Kampala Declaration expected to be conceptualized during the Extraordinary Summit to be held in Kampala in January next year will replace the 2014 Malabo Declaration.
Climate change shocks coupled by Covid19 pandemic, followed by global economic disruptions and conflicts have curtailed progress, she is however optimistic that with action plan being developed towards its launch in January 2025 to be known as the Kampala declaration will guide the continent towards the envisaged success.
“This calls for robust interventions to support member states in building a resilient agricultural sector in the midst of a global food crisis,” she avers.
