News in Brief:
– The African Union has launched a 10-year strategy to transform the agriculture sector, addressing challenges like limited investment and climate change.
– It aims to improve food security, boost youth involvement, and reduce Africa’s reliance on food imports.
The African Union (AU) has launched a comprehensive 10-year strategy aimed at transforming agriculture across the continent. This new plan, unveiled at the AU summit in Kampala, seeks to address persistent challenges and adapt to emerging threats such as climate change and economic instability.
Tagged Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Strategy and Action Plan (2026-2035), it reiterates a holistic approach to food systems, focusing on areas like agro-processing, post-harvest handling, and building resilience to climate shocks.
Vice President Alupo highlights challenges
Speaking at the joint meeting of Agriculture and Foreign Affairs Ministers, Ugandan Vice President Jessica Alupo highlighted the critical role of agriculture in Africa’s economic development.
She stressed the need to address key bottlenecks hindering growth, including limited investment, inadequate infrastructure, and reliance on outdated farming methods. Also, Alupo pointed to several critical challenges, such as insufficient public sector investment, over-reliance on weather patterns in the face of climate change, and the high cost of essential agricultural inputs like fertilisers and seeds. She stressed the need to increase youth involvement in agriculture and improve infrastructure, such as roads and cold storage facilities.
Addressing Africa’s food import bill
Essentially, the summit underscored Africa’s significant annual food import bill, exceeding $100 billion. This missed opportunity possesses vast untapped agricultural potential including abundant land and favourable weather conditions.
Representing His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, at the Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union on the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), was the Nigerian Minister of Agriculture, Senator Abubakar Kyari.
According to Senator Kyari, the summit presented a vital opportunity to reinforce our collective commitment to agricultural transformation, food security, and sustainable development in Africa.
Furthermore, Estherine Fotabong, Director for Agriculture, Food Security, and Environmental Sustainability at AUDA-NEPAD, noted that the new strategy is a result of extensive consultation and African-led efforts.
She acknowledged significant progress made since the Maputo Declaration of 2003 but noted that the targets set in the Malabo Declaration have not been met.
The declaration advised African governments to dedicate at least 10% of their annual budget to agriculture. Only Malawi however, has consistently met the 10% allocated to agriculture from its budget.
Nigeria’s funding shortfall
Performance reviews of Nigeria’s agricultural sector indicate that the country is falling short of expectations. This is evident in the fluctuating and often inadequate budgetary allocations to the sector.
For instance, while agricultural budgetary allocation increased from 1.70% in 2017 to 2.00% in 2018, it declined significantly to 1.56% in 2019 and further to 1.34% in 2020. This trend continued with allocations of 1.37% in 2021 and 1.8% in 2022, demonstrating inconsistent and insufficient government support for the sector.
The new CAADP strategy aims to guide African nations in overcoming the challenges they face in building sustainable and inclusive food systems. It is a key initiative within the African Union’s Agenda 2063. Its overarching goal is to enhance agricultural productivity, increase public investment in the agricultural sector, and stimulate economic growth through agriculture-led development.
Launched in 2003 following the Maputo Declaration and reaffirmed in 2014 through the Malabo Declaration, CAADP prioritises improving food security and nutrition while increasing incomes within Africa’s predominantly farming-based economies.
