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To boost the agriculture sector in Africa, the African Union (AU) has approved a new agricultural development strategy that will see the continent increase its agrifood output by 45 percent by 2035.
Supporting the strategy, Uganda’s President, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni called on fellow leaders to open up the borders as they continue to undermine the advancement of agriculture in Africa.
The new AU strategy is expected to transform its agri-food systems as part of its new plan to become food secure in a decade.
Adoption of the strategy came after the AU Extraordinary Summit on the Post-Malabo Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) held in Uganda, approved the 10-year CAADP Strategy and Action Plan.
It also approved the Kampala CAADP Declaration on Building Resilient and Sustainable Agrifood Systems in Africa, which will be implemented from 2026 to 2035, according to a communique.
“The strategy will also see Africa reduce post-harvest loss by 50 per cent, triple intra-African trade in agrifood products and inputs by 2035, and raise the share of locally processed food to 35 per cent of agrifood GDP by 2035.
“The adoption of the strategy is seen as a pivotal moment that will lay the groundwork for agri-food systems across the continent, and enable countries to act,” according to the communique.
The AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment, Josefa Sacko said the Kampala declaration was different from the Malabo and Maputo declarations in that it included a comprehensive strategy and action plan.
“This will allow member states to begin implementing immediately after the adoption,” she told the Heads of State and government on the last day of the extraordinary summit held in Uganda’s capital, Kampala.
“We now have a clear roadmap, a theory of change that outlines the pathway to transformation, realistic and implementable strategic objectives, a broad policy scope enhancing food system approaches, and targets that reflect the continent’s aspirations,” she said, adding that the inclusive design process ensures that the continent is well prepared to work towards the agriculture transformation vision outlined in Agenda 2063.
Meanwhile, Uganda’s President, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni urged the extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) to promote value addition, saying that Africa cannot continue importing food to feed her population.
“This Africa of having no food and begging is not the real Africa, but the colonial and neo-colonial Africa. It is a shame. The battle for value addition has been a big one because lobbies want to keep Africa as a raw-materials-producing continent.
“Adding value to agricultural products ensures vertical integration in the agricultural sector—from the garden to the table and from the farm to the wardrobe,” he said.
On the issue of non-tariff barriers (NTBs), he called on fellow leaders to open up the borders since they continue to undermine the advancement of agriculture in Africa.
“Uganda easily produces all types of agricultural products. However, production is disrupted when some brother countries say they have bumper crops and delicense Ugandan products”, he added.
On his part, the AUC Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, noted that the ambitious CAADP Programme had been implemented since 2014 within the framework of the Malabo Declaration.
He however, expressed dissatisfaction with the rate of progress.
“The various biennial evaluations of the commitments made by Member States, initiated in 2017 under this declaration, certainly show progress towards achieving the set objectives, but at an unsatisfactory pace,” Faki said.
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