Dakar, Senegal 23rdSeptember 2016- The African Union Commission convened the Malabo Declaration Biennial Review Sensitization Meeting at the King Fahd Palace Hotel, Dakar, Senegal.

The meeting is meant to inform and update AU Member States (MS) on the revised reporting mechanism and to discuss RECs engagement in coordinating MS’ activities, while reaching agreements on how to conduct the trainings for the country Biennial Focal Points to allow effective commencement of country reports in preparation for January 2017.

Officially opening the meeting, Dr. Dogo Seck, Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Equipment of the Republic of Senegal, emphasized the importance of agriculture transformation to achieve overall economic transformation in Africa.

“The achievement of the Malabo Declaration goals and targets in Senegal will also contribute to achieve the national economic vision “Plan Senegal Emergent” and therefore contribute to achieve Agenda 2063,” he said.

He urged AU MS to continue implementing the National Agriculture Investment Plans and improve mutual accountability for better delivery of results and impact.

“Therefore, this meeting is key to make important decisions on the Biennial Review Process on RECs Coordination, roadmaps for submission and validation to be able to submit the Biennial review report to the January 2018 AU Summit,” noted Dr. Seck.

AUC acting Director of the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture, Dr. Janet Edeme, reiterated the AUC’s appreciation to all participants for their efforts in achieving the agricultural transformation agenda in Africa within the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and stated the importance of the Biennial Review process.

 “In the process of establishing the biennial review mechanism, the AUC has found it necessary to inform Member States on the status of implementation and also consult to agree with them and RECs on important issues regarding the procedures for better coordination,” she said.

And speaking on behalf of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, Mrs. Fatmata Lucia Seiwoh, ECOWAP/CAADP M&E Programme Officer, applauded the progress made by countries since the Malabo Declaration in 2014.

“As a REC, we are fully aware of the major role to play in this entire process. Already, we are deeply engaged in making sure that the objectives of the biennial review reporting are met. This meeting will help us to further streamline our efforts as we are already ahead in planning towards the reporting process,” she said.

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 For more information please contact:

Mr. Maurice Lorka

Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture

N'Guessanp@africa-union.org

For further information:

Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Website: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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