By Edmund Smith-Asante
 |
| H.E. Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, Commissioner for rural economy and agriculture, AUC |
Delegates at the just-ended 12th
Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Partnership Platform
(CAADP PP) in Accra have tasked the African Union Commission (AUC) and the
NEPAD Coordinating Agency (NPCA) to support the conduct of national agriculture
investment plans (NAIPs) appraisals in African countries.
The AUC and NPCA are also expected
to ensure the provision of technical support for the implementation of new
NAIPs through the formation of technical networks. An update would be provided
on the NAIPs Appraisal and the technical networks at the 13th CAAD PPP.
“Technical networks will help
identify appropriate policies, programmes and practices that can accelerate the
achievement of the Malabo Declaration goals and target,” the delegates, made up
of experts in agriculture, farmers, representatives of national governments,
public and private financial institutions and regional economic communities
(RECs) among others, stated.
CAADP PP
The 12th CAADP PP meeting was held
on the theme: “Accelerating Implementation of CAADP through Innovative
Financing and Renewed Partnerships.”
The purpose of the meeting was to
identify the capacity needs and the required partnership needs at all levels to
finance agricultural transformation and enable the implementation of the Malabo
Declaration.
The meeting affirmed the vital role
of agriculture in leading Africa’s development and serving as a catalyst for
the needs of women and the youth and stressed that the Malabo Declaration was a
strong political movement for the industrialisation of African agriculture,
with the smallholder farmer playing a key part.
The Malabo Declaration is a pledge
made by African governments in June 2014 at the 23rd Ordinary Session of the
African Union Assembly in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, to essentially end poverty
on the continent by 2025 and also half poverty by the same time.
Delegates urged the two organising
bodies to involve parliamentarians at both country and regional levels to
support the implementation of the Malabo Declaration through legislation,
budget planning and advocacy for the agriculture sector.
They also asked development partners
to support CAADP through public and private sector windows and innovative
financing models and implementation tools.
Recommendations
The meeting agreed on nine
recommendations to improve the continent’s agriculture sector.
These included a collaboration among
the AUC, NPCA and RECs, to design a comprehensive financing architecture, with
a continental, regional and national perspective to ensure speedy
implementation, coordination, complementary and accountable partnership across
Africa. This is expected to fund the African agricultural investment to attain
the Malabo commitments.
Touching on the finance landscape
and policy environment, the meeting suggested that member states and
development partners should highlight ways in which development finance could
be delivered to the grassroots in an efficient and cost- effective manner.
On inclusive access to finance to
empower women and youth, it was acclaimed that components that address the
needs of women and youth, especially on land titles and practising agriculture
as a business for women and creating smart investment for the youth based on
quick returns, technology and innovation must be created.
Stakeholders in agriculture were
also urged to consider how the digital revolution in financial services could
be used to collect data for planning and risk management.
This
story was first published by the Daily Graphic on April 19, 2016
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