Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment (ARBE)

The Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment (ARBE) leads the efforts to promote sustainable environmental management and agricultural development by boosting member states’ rural economy development and agricultural transformation by supporting the adoption of measures, strategies, policies and programmes on agriculture.

The mandate of the department includes:

• Promoting implementing of Agenda 2063 Continental Frameworks such as Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP)
• Promoting agricultural and rural development
• Promoting policies and developing strategies and programmes to ensure food security and nutrition
• Helping members states to achieve sustainable growth and improved livelihoods through sound environmental and natural resources management.
• Promoting rural community initiatives and transfer of technologies
• Coordinating efforts to eradicate poverty
• Promoting efforts to combat desertification and drought including implementation of key projects such as the Great Green Wall for the Sahara and Sahel Initiative (GGWSSI),
• Promoting Multilateral Environment Agreements (MEAs), Land Policy Initiative (LPI), Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS), Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR
• Promoting the Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA), African Fertilizer Financing Mechanism (AFFM), and the African Seed and Biotechnology Program (ASBP).
• Promoting policies and strategies to mitigate disasters;
• Supporting harmonisation of policies and strategies among the RECs
• Initiating research on climate change, water and sanitation, and land management.

The department has five regional technical offices: the AU Inter-African Phytosanitary Council (IAPSC); AU–Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU–IBAR); Pan African Veterinary Vaccine Centre (PANVAC); Pan African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign (PATTEC); and Semi-Arid Food Grain Research and Development (SAFGRAD).

Structure

Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment (ARBE)
H.E. Moses Vilakati

Director: Godfrey Bahiigwa (Uganda)

Divisions

• Agriculture and Food Security Division;
• Rural Development Division;
• Sustainable Environment Division; and
• Blue Economy Division.