Accra, Ghana – April 13, 2016: The 12th Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program Partnership Platform (CAADP PP) opened yesterday with a focus on, Innovative financing and Renewed Partnerships to Accelerate the Implementation of CAADP.”

The CAADP PP, brings together over 400 African and global leaders from international organisations, African Governments, including parliamentarians from AU Member States, private agribusiness firms, farmers, NGOs and civil society organizations.

The 12th PP is designed to deliver on the AU Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Africa Agricultural Growth and Transformation and the AU Agenda 2063, through speeding up CAADP implementation as a result of financial innovation and partnerships.

Speaking during the opening session, African Union Commission (AUC) Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, H.E Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, reiterated that the only way to sustainably deliver on the Heads of State Commitments on Malabo was to, “mobilize our own continental human and financial resources and build strong partnerships for an accountable and efficient implementation of the CAADP Agenda.”

She informed the gathering that the Malabo Declaration, in line with Africa’s Agenda 2063, reiterates a call for action and delivery of results and impact and an expedient process of translating the commitments into results.

“We have made a tremendous effort to align the global indicators set in the SDGs with those of the 10-year Plan of Agenda 2063 stipulated in the Malabo Declaration and translated into the CAADP Result Framework and Implementation Roadmap. This will facilitate our Member States to customize both the SDGs and the CAADP-Malabo targets,’’ she said. “Agriculture is proven to reduce poverty 11 times compared to other sectors. Hence my plea to all Member States is to follow through on their 2003 Maputo commitment reiterated in their 2014 Malabo Declaration to invest at least 10 % of their public budget in agriculture.”

Commissioner Tumusiime said renewed partnerships built on mutual accountability would help Governments, the Private Sector, Farmers and Farmers organizations as well as development partners to deliver on results and Impact for a transformed Agriculture and reach the targets set by the CAADP, Malabo Declaration and the SDGs. (The complete speech is available on www.au.int).

Hon. Ahmed Yakubu Alhassan, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture, said the agricultural sector was of critical importance to stimulate broad economic growth. He urged for more enhanced investments from the private sector into agriculture.

And giving a keynote presentation during the opening session, Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, CEO of the NEPAD Agency said, “Africa can only make it happen if we collectively innovate and collectively agree to account for the resources injected and results and impact that ensue. Indeed, as a continent, with a community of destiny, we cannot afford to invest into our agriculture the same way we have been doing thus far.’’

Dr. Mayaki urged Africa to demonstrate how proactive it is in injecting its own resources into agriculture and to have a more inward looking approach into self-reliance on domestic resources.

Other speakers at the opening event included; Mr Phillip Kiriro; President of the Eastern Africa Farmers Organisations, and representative of the Pan African Farmers’ Organisation (PAFO) who, commended the progress made by CAADP in Africa and called for more focused attention to be given to agriculture and farmers; Mr. Christoph Rauh, Deputy Director of BMZ and Chair of the CAADP Development Partners Task Team emphasised that, “young people need to be involved, agriculture needs to provide good business and employment for the youth.” He reiterated the development partners’ commitment to support for delivering on the Malabo Commitments to transform Africa’s agriculture.

Also in attendance were AU States’ former Presidents; H.E John Kufour of Ghana and H.E Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, as well as Alliance for a Green revolution In Africa (AGRA) President Dr. Agnes Kalibata.

Further, during the opening ceremony, Commissioner Tumusiime chaired a session that saw President. Obasanjo, President Kufour and Dr. Agnes Kalibata, launch the Africa Food Prize. The Africa Food Prize is a transition from the Yara Prize, Africa’s most prestigious award recognizing outstanding contributions to reducing hunger and poverty. It is also a response to the recommendation by AU Heads of State and Government in their Malabo Declaration to institutionalize a system for peer review that encourages good performance on achievement of progress made in implementing the provisions of the Declaration and to recognize biennially, exemplary performance through awards.

The CAADP PP will encompass focused discussions and consensus on specific actions to deliver on the 2014 Malabo commitments for the next decade of CAADP in line with the thrust of the AU Agenda 2063.

For more information contact:

African Union Commission

Ms Carol Jilombo

E-mail: Jilomboc@africa-union.org