By Grace Ademulegun
The three-day Extraordinary Summit of the African Union’s (AU) 55 Member States’ agricultural ministers ended on Saturday, January 11, 2025, in Kampala, Uganda.
The Kampala Declaration and the historic 10-Year Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Strategy and Action Plan for 2026–2035 were adopted at the summit’s conclusion.
With a focus on empowering women and youth, this effort seeks to solve food insecurity, enhance agricultural transformation, and foster sustainable development throughout Africa.
The recently approved CAADP Strategy and Action Plan is in line with the African Common Position to the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and the Malabo Declaration of 2014.
Regional economic communities, African specialists, farmers’ organisations, development partners, private sector organisations, lawmakers, and women’s and youth representatives were among the many stakeholders with whom it was produced over the course of ten months.
The AU’s Specialised Technical Committee (STC) on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water, and Environment (ARDWE) was one of the several bodies that thoroughly reviewed the text.
With over 280 million Africans experiencing chronic hunger as a result of climate change, rapid population increase, conflicts, and economic upheavals, the CAADP Strategy seeks to address these urgent issues in the continent’s agricultural sector.
The plan has a strong emphasis on minimising food waste, strengthening regional trade in agricultural products, developing climate-resilient agriculture, and improving infrastructure.
Crucially, it places a high priority on women’s empowerment by guaranteeing fair access to resources including land, financial services, technology, and agricultural inputs, as well as by encouraging women to take on leadership positions and participate in decision-making.
Robinah Nabbanja, the Prime Minister of Uganda, declared the summit open by emphasising how important it is for Africa to utilise its abundant agricultural resources.
“Africa spends up to USD 100 billion annually on food imports, which is unfortunate given our fertile soils, plentiful fresh water, and agricultural workforce, 60% of whom are women,” she remarked.
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“This summit session ought to produce specific recommendations on how Africa might escape such an unfavourable circumstance. We must feed ourselves if we want to ensure our future as Africans,” she observed.
The CAADP Strategy’s overarching goal was presented by Ambassador Josefa Sacko, AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment.
“In addition to creating millions of jobs for women and youth, this strategy seeks to increase food production, increase value addition, improve intra-African trade, and develop resilient and sustainable agri-food systems that can endure shocks and stressors,” Sacko said.
“We are committed to ensuring women, youth, and marginalised groups have access to resources, enabling their equitable participation in the agri-food sector,” she said, underscoring the significance of inclusivity,” she said further.
Ethiopia’s Minister of Agriculture,
Dr. Girma Amente, gave an account of how his nation successfully incorporated CAADP concepts into its National Agricultural Investment Plan (NAIP).
He emphasised Ethiopia’s efforts towards reaching CAADP targets, including steady increases in agricultural production and resilience-building initiatives, as well as its increased public investment in agriculture.
“Achieving climate resilience targets, raising livestock, and increasing crop yields have all benefited greatly from the implementation of NAIP,” he stated.
The necessity for prompt implementation was underlined by Frank Tumwebaze, Uganda’s Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, who served as the chair of the AU’s Specialised Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water, and Environment and oversaw the development of the CAADP Strategy.
“This Summit marks the conclusion of the Kampala CAADP Agenda’s planning phase. As a result, we need to switch between implementation and execution mode. We can have a significant impact on our continent and its citizens by concentrating on execution,” he suggested.
The summit also included talks on how to move Africa’s agricultural agenda forward in line with Agenda 2063, which aims to create a prosperous continent built on sustainable development and inclusive growth. Food security, nutrition, and agricultural transformation are emphasised in the Agenda as important economic drivers.
The summit arranged a special meeting for foreign ministers to discuss important aspects of the plan on Friday, January 10, 2025. Following a summit of heads of state and government on Saturday, January 11, 2025, the CAADP Strategy and Action Plan was unanimously approved.
The African Union wants to establish inclusive agri-food systems that empower marginalised communities, improve governance, and promote sustainable development by putting women at the forefront of agricultural reform.
Africa will be able to achieve economic growth, self-sufficiency, and resilience in the face of global problems thanks to this historic 10-year plan.
