The African Union’s Extraordinary Summit on Agriculture has kicked off in Kampala, Uganda, with ministers of agriculture from the AU’s 55-member states in attendance.
The three-day meeting is expected to culminate in the adoption of a landmark 10-year strategy and action plan for the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).
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Uganda’s Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, addressed the gathering, emphasizing the need for Africa to feed itself. “It is a shame that the continent’s food imports cost up to $100 billion,” she said.
Ms Nabbanja cited statistics that point to the richness of African soils, abundance of arable land and fresh water, and a 60% population engaged in agriculture. “This session of the Summit should come up with concrete proposals on how Africa can come out of such an undesirable situation. For us to guarantee our future as Africans, we must feed ourselves,” she said.
The CAADP Strategy and Action Plan, set to run from 2026 to 2035, has been under development for the past 10 months. It was drafted by a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including regional economic communities, African experts, farmers’ organizations, and development partners.
The plan aims to advance sustainable agri-food systems across Africa, leverage resources for driving economic growth, enhance food security, and improve livelihoods. It also seeks to address the impacts of climate change, stimulate investment, foster partnerships, and empower vulnerable smallholder farmers.
Josefa Sacko, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment at the African Union Commission, commented on the importance of the CAADP strategy.
“It aims to boost food production, expand value addition, boost intra-Africa trade, create millions of jobs for our youth and women, build inclusive agrifood value chains, and build resilient and sustainable agrifood systems that will withstand shocks and stressors now and in the future,” she said.
The summit will conclude on January 11 with a meeting of Heads of State and Government, where the CAADP Strategy and Action Plan is expected to be adopted.
Uganda’s Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries, Frank Tumwebaze, stressed the need to move into implementation of the strategy as soon as the summit ends.
“The planning phase of the Kampala CAADP Agenda ends during this Summit. We must, therefore, move into implementation and execution mode. It is by focusing on execution that we can make a meaningful impact to our continent and our people,” he said.
Ethiopia’s Minister of Agriculture, Girma Amente, highlighted his country’s efforts to implement the CAADP agenda. “Ethiopia has cascaded CAADP into the national agricultural investment plan, which emphasizes the importance of increasing public investment in agriculture,” he said.
