March 1, 2017, Accra, Ghana – The African Union Commission in collaboration with the NEPAD Planning and Coordination Agency (NPCA) are committed to strengthening commitments to mutual accountability for results and impact towards the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and the AU 2014 Malabo Declaration on Africa Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation (3AGT).  

Mutual accountability for results and impact is a key determining factor for Africa’s development as pointed out in the AU 2014 Malabo Declaration which contains seven key commitments on agricultural transformation, which the AU Heads of State and Government committed to, and in turn tasked the AUC and NEPAD Agency to lead the establishment of the Biennial Review (BR) Mechanism for regular country progress reports to the AU Assembly.

The Biennial Review Mechanism aims to provide a platform for mutual accountability, and peer review that will motivate increased performance by AU Member States to deliver on targets set by the Malabo Declaration, through a well-designed, transparent and performance based Monitoring and Evaluation and Biennial Sector Reporting to the AU Assembly that will in turn trigger evidence based planning and implementation for the expected agricultural growth and transformation in Africa; and ultimately lead to the Africa We Want , as embodied in the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and in particular, to Aspiration 1 of Africa’s Agenda 2063; a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development.

As a culmination to a series of country sensitization campaigns on the BR Mechanism in 2016, the first ever regional training on the Malabo Declaration Biennial Review Reporting Process is underway in Accra, Ghana. The training workshop, in collaboration with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will train the 5 Anglophone ECOWAS Member States (Liberia, Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone) on the tools and instruments to track performance on agricultural transformation to allow effective commencement of country reports preparation.

The training workshop in Accra, was officially opened by Mr. Seth Osei Okoto, Director, Crop Services Directorate, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ghana, who reiterated the importance of mutual accountability in achieving and implementing the commitments agreed to in the Malabo Declaration.

Other dignitaries at the opening session included Mr. Maurice Lorka, AUC CAADP Advisor and in charge of the AUC BR process; Mrs. Fatmata Lucia Seiwoh ECOWAP/CAADP M&E Programme Officer and Mr. Boaz Keizire, Head of Policy and Advocacy, AGRA.

Mr. Lorka thanked and commended ECOWAS for taking the lead as the first Regional Economic Community (REC) to undertake the training and for their commitment to the BR process and in particular to the implementation of the Malabo Declaration.

Meanwhile Mrs. Seiwoh applauded the progress made by countries since the Malabo Declaration in 2014 and reiterated the commitment of ECOWAS in doing their part to achieve the aspirations of transforming Africa through agriculture.

And Mr. Keizire also emphasized the importance of the BR Mechanism and called on AU Member States to take charge and own the process.

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For more information please contact:

Mr. Maurice Lorka

African Union Commission

Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture

N'Guessanp@africa-union.org

Media contact:

Ms. Carol Jilombo

CAADP Communications 

Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture

JilomboC@africa-union.org

For further information contact

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

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