Discussions about the future of agriculture in Africa are back on the African Union (AU) stage with the convening of an Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government on Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programmes (CAADP) post-Malabo.
The summit will take place in Kampala, Uganda, from the 9th to the 11th of this month. The event will deliberate on the post-Malabo CAADP agenda, including the draft strategy and action plan for a ten-year comprehensive programme tied to the Kampala Declaration on advancing inclusive agri-food systems transformation in Africa for sustainable economic growth and shared prosperity.
The purpose of this Extraordinary Summit is to endorse the draft Kampala CAADP Declaration, which outlines a comprehensive vision for transforming Africa’s agri-food systems for the 2026–2035 period. It will also approve the CAADP strategy and action plan for the same period, detailing how to achieve the objectives and targets outlined in the Kampala CAADP Declaration draft.
Jointly organized by the AU Commission’s Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment, headed by Angolan Ambassador Josefa Sacko, and the African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD), the summit will begin with a one-day meeting of ministers responsible for agriculture, rural development, water, and environment scheduled for next Thursday.
This meeting will be followed by a joint session of ministers of agriculture, rural development, water, and environment with foreign ministers on the following Friday.
The sessions will feature two key presentations: the draft CAADP Decadal Strategy and Action Plan (2026–2035) and the draft Kampala CAADP Declaration. Both meetings will be held in closed-door sessions.
The ministerial sessions are structured to encourage inclusive and interactive dialogue among ministers and between ministers and key strategic stakeholders. They will also allow ministers to review strategic documents for consideration and recommendations to the Assembly.
The Heads of State and Government Summit will take place on Saturday to endorse the CAADP Decadal Strategy and Action Plan (2026–2035) and the draft Kampala CAADP Declaration.
The Extraordinary Summit on the CAADP Agenda will bring together Heads of State and Government from AU member states, foreign ministers, ministers and experts responsible for agriculture (forestry, fisheries, poultry, and livestock), rural development, water, and environment, as well as youth, women, non-state actors, academia, and development partners.
A Crucial Programme for Agricultural Transformation
The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), considered crucial for driving agricultural transformation across Africa since its inception in 2003, is a continental initiative under Agenda 2063 aimed at helping African countries eliminate hunger and reduce poverty through agriculture-led development and economic growth.
The programme focuses on enhancing food security and nutrition, reducing rural poverty, creating jobs, and contributing to economic development while protecting the environment.
CAADP also aims for an annual agricultural growth rate of 6%, with AU member states committing at least 10% of their budgets to agriculture.
Building on the Maputo Declaration (2003–2013), the Malabo CAADP Declaration of 2014 renewed the commitment to CAADP, setting ambitious targets for 2025, including eradicating hunger, reducing malnutrition, tripling intra-African trade, and building resilience in livelihoods and production systems.
The Malabo Declaration emphasized mutual accountability through biennial agricultural reviews and recognized the critical role of related sectors like infrastructure and rural development. During the AU Assembly’s 37th Ordinary Session in February last year, Heads of State and Government expressed concern that the continent was not on track to achieve the CAADP Malabo goals and objectives by 2025.
This prompted a call for a post-Malabo CAADP agenda to build resilient agri-food systems. In this context, the Extraordinary Summit of the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government is scheduled to take place from the 9th to the 11th of this month in Kampala, Uganda.
Africa Spends Between $45 and $50 Billion Annually on Food Imports
The African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment, Angolan Ambassador Josefa Sacko, revealed in an exclusive interview with Jornal de Angola that Africa spends between $45 and $50 billion annually on food imports.
The AU diplomat stated that Africa has the potential to end this dependency due to its abundant water resources, arable land, and predominantly young population. “We cannot continue relying on imports. We have the potential to produce within our continent, which holds 75% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, to achieve food self-sufficiency. However, political commitment is essential,” Sacko emphasized.
She added that the Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government on Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programmes post-Malabo would be decisive for the continent’s agricultural future.
As her term at the AU ends on March 15, Sacko highlighted that the Kampala Declaration to be adopted by Heads of State and Government at this summit would enable Africa to establish common public policies to overcome food and nutritional insecurity.
Sacko pointed out that the lack of alignment in agriculture-focused public policies has been a major barrier to achieving significant results across the continent. “Without aligned and well-defined public policies, we will not achieve food security,” she warned, adding that financing challenges also hinder progress.
Sacko revealed that during the CAADP biennial report presentation to Heads of State last year, it became evident that countries need to continue working toward more satisfactory outcomes.
Despite the challenges, 28 countries have made progress on the seven commitments outlined in the Malabo Declaration. “Although Angola is not among these 28 countries, it is making progress and actively participating in discussions,” the Angolan diplomat noted, citing climate change, conflicts, and lack of funding as factors that have hindered countries’ achievements.
Source: Jornal de Angola
