News

An Integrated, Prosperous and Peaceful Africa.

Top Slides

2025 Theme of the Year: "2025 Year of Reparations: Justice for Africans & People of African Descent through Reparations.

Department FrontPage

Element visible on Department Page

Report f the 5th Meeting of AU Sub-Committee of DGs of Customs, Cotonou, Benin

5th ORDINARY MEETING OF THE AU SUB-COMMITTEE OF DIRECTORS GENERAL OF CUSTOMS

12 – 13 September 2013
Cotonou
Benin Doc. CCD/5.AUSC.DG/R1
Original. English

REPORT

REPORT OF THE 5TH ORDINARY MEETING OF THE AFRICAN UNION
SUB-COMMITTEE OF DIRECTORS GENERAL OF CUSTOMS
12-13 SEPTEMBER 2013, COTONOU, BENIN

Introduction

1. The 5th Ordinary Meeting of the African Union Sub-Committee of Directors General of Customs was held from 12 to 13 September 2013 at the Palais des Congres in Cotonou, Benin. The theme of the meeting was ‘Towards a Trade Facilitation Strategy for the Continental Free Trade Area’.

Participation
2. The following Member States attended the meeting: Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The Regional Economic Communities and International organizations present were CES-SAD, COMESA,EAC, ECOWAS, FEWACCI,IOM, SADC, UNECA, WCO-ROCB ESA, CCES and WCO. List of participants is attached as Annex I.

Agenda Item 1: Opening of the Meeting

3. The Director General of Benin Customs and Excise, Colonel Paul Lafia Tabe welcomed his counterparts to Cotonou, Benin, the venue of the 5th Ordinary Session of the AUSCDG of Customs. He expressed his gratitude to H. E. Dr. Thomas Boni YAYI, the President of the Republic of Benin for his support in hosting the meeting.

4. In his remarks, the Director General bemoaned the low level of intra African Trade, which currently is estimated to be 12 %, a figure which is far low compared to other regions of the world. He concluded his remarks by recalling the Theme of the WCO for 2012, ‘Borders Separates, Customs Unites’ and urged Africa’s Customs Administrations to work hand and glove with trade so as to support Africa’s Regional Integration Agenda and establishment of a Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA).

5. The Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, expressed his gratitude to the African Union Commission for inviting him to the 5th Ordinary Session of the AUSCDGC, and the Government and People of Benin for hosting the meeting. He pointed that the Theme of the meeting also reflects a shared vision of the WCO, and that Customs administrations world over are the engines of Trade Facilitation who play a very important role in the movement of people and goods across national borders.

6. Mr. Mikuriya highlighted the 2014-2017 WCO Strategy and how Customs can use some of the provisions therein such as the Economic Competitiveness Package, the Data Model and the RKC to improve the efficiency of the Customs Administrations. He reiterated the commitment of the WCO to support AU’s programmes in the area of Customs reforms and modernization and concluded by urging the Directors General of Customs to exchange ideas and share their experiences so as to come with sound ideas in support of the envisaged CFTA.

7. In her opening remarks, Her Excellency, Mrs. Fatima Haram Acyl, Commissioner for the Department of Trade and Industry at the African Union Commission thanked the Government and People of Benin for hosting the meeting. H.E. Commissioner Acyl recalled the Decision of the AU Heads of State and Government during the 18th Ordinary Session of their Assembly held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2012 to Boost Intra African Trade and Establishment of the Continental Free Trade Area by 2017, as an indicative date. She also pointed that work is already ongoing and various structures of the Architecture are being put in place and to the realization of the Decision requires commitment of all stakeholders, especially from the AUSCDGC.

8. H.E. Commissioner Acyl pointed that trade facilitation is important for Africa to realize its position in the global arena, but also faces a lot of challenges in the process. Such challenges vary from existence of poor and, at times obsolete telecommunications services, poor physical infrastructure and that almost one third of African Countries do not have access to oceans or seas to facilitate movement of their goods to overseas markets. She concluded by sharing with the Directors General the African Group’s position on the WTO Trade Facilitation Negotiations and the Round scheduled for Bali, Indonesia towards the end of 2013.

9. Her speech is attached as Annex II to this Report

10. The Minister of State, H.E. Francois Abiola on behalf of H.E. Dr. Thomas Boni YAYI, the President of the Republic of Benin welcomed the Directors General to Cotonou and wished them a pleasant stay. He thanked the Commission of the African Union for having chosen Cotonou as the venue of the 5th Ordinary Session of the AUSCDGC and also for the work done since the Decision to fast track the establishment of the CFTA was taken.

11. H.E. Francois Abiola highlighted on Africa’s low trade levels and urged the meeting to come up with sound decisions on the removal of Non-Tariff Barriers so as to facilitate legitimate trade. He also pointed on some of the challenges encountered in the movement of goods across national borders, which range from the existence of poor physical infrastructure to unethical behavior by some border officials, and the need to address them. H.E. the Minister of State concluded his opening remarks by urging the Directors General to come up with policies that also promote small scale traders, especially women and thereafter, he declared the meeting officially open.

Agenda Item 2 : Election of the Bureau

12. The Bureau of the meeting was constituted as follows:-

• Chair - Benin
• Vice Chair - South Africa
• Rapporteur - Cameroon
Friends of the Chair
• WCO West/Central Region Nigeria
• WCO East/Southern Region Malawi
• WCO Northern Region Algeria

Agenda Item 3 : Adoption of the Agenda and Organization of Work

13. The agenda was adopted without amendment and is attached as Annex III.

14. The meeting adopted the following as its working schedule as suggested by the Commission:-

• Morning: 09.00 – 13.00
• Afternoon: 14.30 – 18.00

Agenda Item 4 : Presentation of the Benin Customs and Excise

15. In their presentation, the representatives of Benin Customs and Excise underscored the important role that Customs play in the overall economy of Benin. They elaborated the various milestones that the Customs achievements through its reform and modernization program such the introduction of ASYCUDA ++. The presentation also highlighted the Single window System that enables traders to accomplish clearance formalities electronically. In addition to the introduction of the single window, the meeting was informed that Benin Customs has also established a risk management system and Valuation data base, revised the customs code, introduction of pre-clearance controls and post clearance audit.

16. These reforms have yielded considerable benefits notably the reduction in clearance time, simplification of clearance procedures which have led to the overall increase in Customs revenue. This has also improved relations between Customs and other stakeholders in the logistics chain.

17. In the discussions that ensued the meeting demonstrated interest on the issues covered by the presentation especially, the single window, the valuation certification system and the use of scanners to ameliorate customs controls.

Agenda Item 5: Consideration of the Report of the Customs Experts Meeting

18. The Chairperson of the Meeting of Experts presented the Report of their Meeting. In the discussions that ensued, the Directors General raised the following issues;

i. There is need to seek clarification from the High Level African Trade Committee on the mandate of the Customs Technical Committee under the continental free trade area Architecture vis-à-vis the continued existence of the Meeting of AU Sub-Committee of the Directors General of Customs;

ii. While Customs Administrations have a role to play on the development and negotiation of rules of origin, in most countries this is a responsibility of Ministries of Trade;

iii. Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between some African countries and the European Union are threatening regional integration programmes in African countries.

19. Thereafter, the Directors General made the recommendations which are attached as Annex IV.

Agenda Item 6: Exchange of views on The Trade Facilitation Strategy for
Boosting Intra -African Trade (BIAT) and Establishment of a
Continental Free Trade Area

20. The Director General of Swaziland Revenue Authority made a presentation on a proposal for the development of a common Single Window system for Africa. The Directors General considered the proposal and made the following observations:

I. The WCO has already developed a comprehensive package from which Customs Administrations can borrow from

II. Single Window systems world over are complex and diverse and it may be difficult to have a ‘one size fits all approach’

III. Member States are at different levels on the development and implementation of Single Window systems, and as such, the proposal could be a challenge to some countries to embrace

IV. Some countries lack capacity to implement the proposed measures and may require some assistance in this regard

V. The approach to the implementation of Single Window System may vary from one country to the other; some would wish to engage the private sector through PPPs, while for others, the respective Governments would want to own it

21. The Directors General recommended that the Experts meeting should examine the proposal for the development of a common single window system for African taking into consideration the WCO Single Window Compendium and best practices from countries that have already implemented such systems, and report to the 6th meeting of the Directors General of Customs.

22. With regards to the discussions on the proposed CFTA, the Directors General noted that it will be important to carry out studies at the national and regional levels as may be appropriate to assess the impact of the CFTA on customs revenues, the establishment of a compensation fund for revenue loss and other issues related to rules of origin and competitiveness.

23. The Directors General then recommended that the AUC in collaboration with UNECA should commission an impact study in the establishment of the CFTA in order to provide Member States with a good base for engagement in the negotiations.

Agenda Item 7: Date and Venue of the 6th Ordinary Meeting of the African
Union Sub-Committee of the Directors General of Customs

24. The 6th Ordinary Session of the AUSCDGC will be held in 2014 in Congo Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

Agenda Item 8: Any Other Business

25. No issues were raised under this agenda item

Agenda Item 9: Approval of the Record, the Recommendations and the
Framework of Action for the year 2013-2014

26. The report and recommendations were adopted as amended

Agenda Item 10: Vote of Thanks

27. A representative of the Togo delegation delivered a vote of thanks on behalf of the Directors General of Customs. He thanked the Government and People of Benin for hosting their 5th Ordinary Session.

Agenda Item 11: Closing Ceremony

28. The Director General for Benin Customs and Excise thanked the African Union Commission for having chosen Benin as the host of the meeting. He also expressed his gratitude to the Secretary General of the WCO, the RECs and international organizations for having been able to attend the meeting. He wished his counterparts safe journeys to respective countries.

29. In his closing remarks, the Secretary General of the WCO expressed satisfaction in the manner the meeting was held. He urged the Directors General to take advantage of the various WCO tools and practices available to support the establishment of the CFTA.

30. The Head of Customs Cooperation division of the African Union Commission thanked the hosts for the sound preparations done to enable hosting the meeting. He also thanked the Directors General for having been able to attend the meeting, and for the high quality of their contributions. He informed the Directors General that the recommendations of their meeting were going to be submitted to the 8th Conference Ministers of Trade scheduled to be held at the Commission Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in October 2013.

30. The Minister of State of Benin Government thanked the Experts, the Directors General, AUC and staff from Benin Customs and Excise for the various roles they played to make the meeting a success. He complimented the Directors General for the high quality of their work and had no doubt that the recommendations made would be acceptable to the Policy Organs of the African Union.

31. The Minister of State recalled the role played by Customs Administrations in both collecting revenue for respective Governments and the need to facilitate legitimate trade. He congratulated the Republic of Congo for having been chosen as the host of the 6th Ordinary Session of the Directors General of Customs, before formally closing the meeting.

ANNEX IV

RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 5TH MEETING OF THE AFRICAN UNION
SUB-COMMITTEE OF DIRECTORS GENERAL OF CUSTOMS

On the activities of the Customs Cooperation Division of the African Union Commission

I. That AU Member States are urged to consider seconding Customs Attaches to the Customs Cooperation Division through their respective Diplomatic representations in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The AUC should within 3 months provide Member States with information for secondment and skills set required for areas requiring support;

II. That the AU is urged to maintain the AU Sub-committee of Directors General of Customs despite the endorsement of a Customs Technical Committee under the CFTA architecture;

III. That the AUC is urged to take action in regard to the official recognition of the AUC-ECA-AfDB Sub-Committee on Customs Cooperation;

IV. That the AU Commission is urged to initiate the process of developing the draft Protocol on Customs Cooperation in accordance with Article 39 of the Abuja Treaty.

On the interconnectivity of Computerized Customs Information Systems

I. That the Directors General endorse the Road Map and Strategy for the continental Interconnectivity of Computerized Customs Information Systems in Africa;

II. That Member States in collaboration with the RECs are encouraged to put in place the necessary legal framework and other arrangements for the interconnection of their computerized Customs Information Systems to facilitate exchange of data;

III. That Member States in collaboration with the RECs are urged to harmonize their data on the basis of the WCO Data Model in order to facilitate electronic exchange of information.

On the outsourcing of core Customs functions

That Member States are encouraged to provide Customs Administrations with the necessary resources to enable them acquire the appropriate capacity in view of gradually phasing out intervention of pre-shipment inspection companies and other similar private operators in core Customs functions.

On Rules of Origin

I. That the Technical Working Group should continue its work on Rules of Origin especially in relation to the proposed Draft Framework on Rules of Origin for the CFTA and the Matrix on Road Map for Rules of Origin Negotiations;

II. That in the forthcoming TFTA negotiations on Rules of Origin, due consideration should be given to the draft negotiating text proposed by the African Union Technical Working Group on Rules of Origin.

On the Revised Kyoto Convention

I. That when drafting CFTA negotiating texts at the continental level, the RKC provisions could be included in the texts such that any Party that would have agreed / signed the texts will be bound to implement the elements of the RKC;

II. That Regional Economic Communities are urged to formulate their legislation on the principles of the RKC to facilitate accession by Member States;

III. That the AUC and the RECs in collaboration with the WCO endeavor to promote the advantages linked to accession and the implementation of the RKC at the country level;

IV. That Members States are encouraged to accede to the 10 Specific Annexes in addition to the General Annex;

V. That Member States are urged carry out self-assessment of their national legislation in comparison with the RKC, where necessary with technical assistance from the WCO;

VI. That Member States are encouraged to put in place change management policies where they do not exist to support implementation of the RKC;

VII. That Customs Administrations are encouraged to lobby other relevant national institutions on the need to fast track pending national processes for accession to the Convention;

VIII. That Members States are encouraged to utilise the RKC toolkit developed by the WCO and to continue to work with the WCO on the development of other RKC tools to facilitate implementation of the RKC.

On Coordinated Border Management

I. That the AU Commission, with the assistance of RECs and technical partners, should develop a continental policy framework, on Coordinated Border Management and submit for adoption by the Policy Organs of the Union;

II. That Member States are urged to consider raising awareness and pursuing strategies to formulate clear national policies on Coordinated Border Management in Member States and institutionalize such practices in the African Union drawing inspiration from regional policies on CBM;

III. That the AUC should organise multi-sectoral workshops at national, regional and continental levels with a view to building the capacity of institutions as well as enhancing their coordination mechanisms;

IV. That AU Member States are urged to consider using the WCO Project Map Database to facilitate donor agency interventions in CBM efforts in order to avoid duplication and ensure efficient utilization of resources in line with the Paris, Busan and Accra Declarations on aid effectiveness.

On the Implementation Matrix for the CFTA

That the AUC should take all necessary steps to ensure continued collaboration with the RECs to ensure their full participation into the CFTA process.

On International Trade Agreements Issues

I. That Customs Administrations are urged to continue to engage effectively on trade facilitation aspects of the WTO Negotiations in collaboration with Ministries of Trade and the Geneva based African Group;

II. That Customs Administrations are urged to support the African position on the necessity of equally binding provisions on technical / financial assistance and capacity building.

On other matters

That the AUC is urged to prepare a draft proposal to review the Rules of procedure of the Sub-Committee of Directors General of Customs with a view to institutionalizing the meeting of Experts proceeding the session of the Sub-Committee.

English

Key Note Address for H.E Tumusiime Rhoda Peace Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture African Union Commission at the International Conference on Revolutionising Finance for Agricultural Value Chains

Key Note Address for H.E Tumusiime Rhoda Peace
Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture
African Union Commission
at the International Conference on Revolutionising Finance for Agricultural Value Chains
14-18 July 2014,
Nairobi, Kenya

Prof. Kinandu Muragu, Executive Director, Kenya School of Monetary
Studies

Dr. Evans Kidero, Governor, Nairobi County

Prof. Njuguna Ndung’u, Governor, Central Bank of Kenya

Millison Narh, Chairman of the African Rural and Agricultural
Credit Association (AFRACA) and Deputy Governor, Bank of Ghana

Luca Alinovi, Representative, Food and Agriculture
Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), Kenya

Michael Hailu, Director, The Technical Centre for Agricultural and
Rural Cooperation (CTA) of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States

H.E Ambassador Lodewijk Briet, Head of Delegation, European Union

Honourable Felix Koskei, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries,
Kenya

Honourable Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development,
Nigeria

Honourable Ministers from other AU Member States

Excellences, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I. Introduction

It is an honour for me to be part of this landmark dialogue on Revolutionising Finance for Agricultural Value Chains. Let me register the appreciation of the of the African Union Commission. I thank the Government and people of Kenya for graciously hosting this dialogue, for generous hospitality and for the excellent facilities placed at our disposal. Let me also, at this juncture, express gratitude to the Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya for the invitation. I also wish to commend the Bank’s collaboration with the African Rural and Agricultural Credit Association and the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation in organisng this dialogue. The African Union is proud to partner with you because your initiative complements the efforts we are championing on the continent in the framework of Accelerated African Agricultural Growth and Transformation in line with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

It is, therefore, my singular honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the African Union Commission.

II. Importance

I need not over-emphasise the importance of agriculture because the high turn up of participants at this international conference is eloquent testimony of the value that leaders, stakeholders and partners accord to agriculture. This commitment and enthusiasm is encouraging and promising that this time African agricultural transformation will materialise just like the green revolution in Latin America and Asia.

Let us, all the same, remind ourselves of a few pertinent facts about the driving role agriculture plays in the economic development and future growth of the African continent. You are aware that the agricultural sector remains the predominant sector in most AU Member States. We cannot tire to talk about this. It accounts for up to 80% of employment, 20% of total exports, and 40% of GDP. It has been established that agriculture, and agriculture related industries in Africa, are the top winners, above all other sectors, for a broad base of African citizens and from the perspective of returns on investment.

So, if the most important resource that Africa has are its own citizens and if for most of our citizens the occupation is agriculture, which other sector would deserve more attention than agriculture and supporting industries if we want to raise the standard of living of our people in pursuit of prosperity which is part of the vision of the African Union that aspires for: “An integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.’’….?

III. Support

Since it goes without saying that agriculture needs, deserves and must have support, it is imperative that we agree on the kind of investment needed for agriculture and effective and efficient mechanisms for delivering this investment for agriculture to produce the results and impacts we desire for the Africa We Want as captured in Africa Agenda 2063:
“A Shared Strategic Framework for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development & A Global Strategy to Optimize the Use of Africa’s Resources for the Benefit of all Africans”. Our convening here for the International Conference on Finance for Agriculture acknowledges that agriculture is a business, which begins on the farm and continues through building value-chains that defines the steps toward achieving the Africa where every citizen would like to live and not to migrate from.

The critical support that Africa’s agricultural sector requires is five-fold:

(i) To coordinate from a multi-sectoral approach public sector investment with rural economies at the centre where small holder farmers are empowered to evolve into enterprises that can contribute to and benefit from their sweat. Smallholder farmers have been the bedrock of African agriculture and should, therefore not be taken for granted or marginalised but rather empowered ;

(ii) To attract African financial capital into agriculture and supporting industries to strengthen agriculture value chains while at the same time improving financial sector performance culminating in resilient economies and societies. Governments need to put in place an enabling institutional and policy environment to encourage private sector finance and investment in agriculture;

(iii) To foster African innovation and entrepreneurship to catalyse Africa’s agricultural transformation while reducing risks from climate change and market shocks; to build a resilient citizenry

(iv) To focus across the board on women access to productive resources especially land and finance so that they can move from being farmworkers towards producers and owners of agribusiness;

(v) To harness the energy, quick-learning, and creativity of the youth and channelling them towards agricultural entrepreneurship. Mechanization of farming and value chain development are instrumental in attracting the youth to agriculture. And as you know definitely we shall not attract our youth to farming when we still use a handhoe.

This support needs to be implemented simultaneously, and not piecemeal, if it is to deliver the desired results and impacts in an accelerated manner. This is the only way to capture the moment that Africa has in its history for renaissance in line with the Theme of the just-concluded 50th Anniversary of the OAU/AU: Pan Africanism and African Renaissance.

If you look at resource allocation, how much goes to agriculture? Suppose this amount was increased, imagine what impact it would have on households, communities and nations, their economies and stability. And as you know, food security is really political, it brings crises.

Africa needs to learn from the West; we do not have to reinvent the wheel. Look at the U.S the world's leading economy, its foundation is agriculture. They invested in research, they invested in agribusiness; and in fact in the entire agricultural value chain. Up to now they still subsidise their agriculture; and which developed economy in the world does not subsidise its agriculture? Isn't it time that we put our money where our mouth is, as the saying goes? Why should we say no to subsidies for agriculture when even the developed countries like USA and others do subsidise their agriculture?

We have, in fact, seen that the non-oil economies that are registering fast growth, are those that are investing significantly in agriculture – am not going to mention them but they are there in Africa. They are investing in extension services, agricultural credit, targeted fertilizer subsidies, and so on. This is an example worth emulating.

IV. Opportunities

Fortunately, we are favoured with the following opportunities to tap for agricultural transformation:

(i) The agricultural vision, the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) underscores the importance of agriculture and serves as a rallying framework for all AU Member States, Regional Economic Communities and their stakeholders and partners to work together to achieve the Accelerated African Agricultural Growth and Transformation. Over two thirds of AU Member States have signed CAADP Compacts and formulated National Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Investment Plans, ready for implementation, and in some cases already under implementation.

(ii) Africa has 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land which when responsibly managed will underpin world-class agricultural transformation in Africa;

(iii) Africa has abundant water resources sufficient for irrigated agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture and sanitation for a healthy and productive population;

(iv) Africa’s population heralds huge and dynamic consumer markets given that by 2050, Africa will be home to one-fifth of the world’s population;

(v) Africa has the world’s youngest population that is dynamic and innovative who offer prospects for agricultural transformation and prosperity;

(vi) Africa is urbanising at an unprecedented rate opening opportunities for agribusiness and agroprocessing as part of the agricultural value chain;

(vii) The momentum towards the establishment of the Continental Free Trade Area by 2017 will boost intra-African trade dominated by African agricultural products because that is where Africa has a comparative advantage;

(viii) The operationalization of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) will also boost intra-African trade dominated by African agricultural products. Intra-African trade requires appropriate infrastructure.

(ix) The purchased inputs business in Africa is ripe for investment given the lowest rank that Africa occupies in the world in the use of fertilisers, certified seeds, irrigation equipment and others;

(x) The market for African produced agricultural products will equate to at least USD40 billion which is the price tag for Africa’s current annual food imports. This money we donate it to buy food from outside and we also end up donating our jobs. And with world food production needing to rise by 40% over the next 30 years, Africa could be an important part of the solution.

These opportunities illuminate what is possible when you, the leaders, stakeholders and partners work together in public private partnership in pursuit of transforming Africa’s agriculture and economy.

V. Conclusion

Your Excellences, Honorable Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen, I trust that, in the spirit of Pan Africanism and African Renaissance, you are all committed and determined to double your efforts to take advantage of the opportunities I have enumerated and more, in order to stem chronic hunger and malnutrition, water borne diseases, dependency on food imports, and food supply uncertainty. When we achieve the Accelerated African Agricultural Growth Targets we will ensure an unshakeable foundation for agriculture and Africa’s national, regional and continental economies in a way that perpetually fosters innovation, public and private investment in agriculture, and is fertile ground for Africa’s youth to realize their dreams and ambitions. This vision was expressed at the 23rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, held in June 2014, in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. Further, the overwhelming participation here of over 800 persons, from 80 countries as we have heard at this landmark Finance for Agriculture meeting, indicates the tremendous alignment in today’s Africa that agriculture is the priority sector for wealth building and prosperity of Africa’s citizens, today and long into the future.

I look forward to a lively and productive dialogue during this week so that we all return with insights that we can apply toward increasing African investment in agriculture and accelerating African agricultural transformation and growth.

I thank you for your kind attention.

Dates: 
July 15, 2014
File: 
PDF icon Keynote Address (En)
English

Statement by H.E Dr. Anthony Mothae Maruping Commissioner for Economic Affairs, African Union Commission at the Experts Meeting of the Seventh Conference of African Ministers In Charge of Integration (COMAI VII)

STATEMENT BY
H.E Dr. ANTHONY MOTHAE MARUPING

COMMISSIONER FOR ECONOMIC AFFAIRS, AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION

AT THE EXPERTS MEETING OF
THE SEVENTH CONFERENCE OF AFRICAN MINISTERS IN CHARGE OF INTEGRATION (COMAI VII)

14-16 JULY 2014
EZULWINI, SWAZILAND
 
Excellencies, Distinguished, Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the African Union Chairperson, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, It is both an honour and privilege to welcome you all to the Experts Meeting of the 7th Conference for African Ministers in Charge of Integration (COMAI VII), taking place in this beautiful city of Ezulwini. It is gratifying to see you in large numbers today, a testimony of the great importance you attach to the realization of Africa’s integration agenda.
To begin with, permit me to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to His Majesty King Mswati III of the Kingdom of Swaziland, the entire Government and people of Swaziland for the warm hospitality accorded to all delegations and for agreeing to host this Conference at a very short notice. Your brotherhood undoubtedly bears witness to the continued commitment of the leadership of the Kingdom of Swaziland to stand in solidarity with the African Union and support it in its realization of our integration agenda.

Excellencies, Distinguished, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our theme for the Conference, ‘‘Infrastructure and Integration in Africa’’, could not have been placed on your agenda for the Conference of African Ministers in Charge of Integration, at a more appropriate time when our vision for the next fifty years, Agenda 2063, The Africa we Want, is adopted.
We are already in Year One of the fifty years horizon of Agenda 2063. We are therefore paying particular attention to those priority areas that will propel our Agenda forward in the first decade. Amongst the things our citizens called for during the consultations and which we ourselves prioritized in our four year Strategic Plan include: the revolution in education, skills, science, technology and innovation; and our young people are calling for harmonized curricula so they can study and work anywhere in the continent; the free movement of Africans; the Continental Free Trade Area; industrialization and economic development; and connecting all capitals and commercial centres through infrastructure, rail and roads, energy and ICT.
As we shift gear towards implementation of Agenda 2063, we urge all concerned parties, especially Member States and RECs, to be fully engaged and committed to contribute to the achievement of Africa’s vision in 50 years.
In fact, the theme of this Conference is very apt in the sense that it captures the dual nature of the challenges facing Africa which is how infrastructure development can contribute to boosting the integration Agenda in Africa, with a particular emphasis, on ensuring that it is both people-centered and relevant to the needs and aspirations of African citizens.
Excellencies, Distinguished, Ladies and Gentlemen,
There is emerging consensus on the continent that we have a window of opportunity to set Africa on the path towards integration, prosperity and peace. This growing confidence is founded on the economic growth experienced over the last decade, improvements in our human development indicators and progress in governance, creating peace and stability. It is reinforced by our continental endowments (a youthful and growing population, the potential unleashed by women’s empowerment, urbanization) and our natural resources (land, minerals, energy and marine resources), which if harnessed in the interest of Africa’s people, bodes well for the future. It is also conscious of the fact that despite the progress recorded, we continue to face immense challenges: structural underdevelopment and dependency; huge backlogs in infrastructure, basic services and human resource development and the need to build people-centred, inclusive and development public and private cultures and institutions.
In fact, Infrastructure deficits remain a serious challenge with limited financing for regional projects. For example, Africa requires 68 billion USD over the eight year period for the implementation of current PIDA priority projects. This represents 0.2-0.4% of the continental GDP in 2011 and 1% of combined national budgets for the same year.
This is despite the turn-around we are beginning to see, with increased national government and private sector expenditure and planned expenditure on infrastructure. At the same time, we know the potential economic impact that national, regional and continental infrastructure projects will have – in transport and energy especially, but also in other economic and social infrastructure areas – on the continent’s economies.
To illustrate the magnitude of the challenges, let me bring to you attention the following statistics:
• The road access rate in Africa is only 34%, compared with 50% in other parts of the developing world and transport costs are 100% higher.
• Only 30% of Africa’s population has access to electricity, compared to 70-90% in other parts of the developing world.
• Water resources are underused with only 5% of agriculture under irrigation.
• The Internet penetration rate is a mere 6% (2012), compared to an average of 40% elsewhere in the developing world.
• Deficient infrastructure in today’s Africa has been found to sap growth by as much as 2% a year.
Consequently, intra-African trade also remains abysmally low at about 12 percent compared to rates of up to 60 percent in Europe, while the pace of movement towards FTAs remains slow. You will also agree with me that without good road networks, railway systems ports and telecommunications and power, it is very difficult to achieve both our regional and continental integration objectives.
At the same time, we know that being aware of opportunities and challenges is not enough. We have today continental frameworks, such as PIDA, policies and often strategies in virtually every area of importance to our development. We are also aware that we do not start on a clean slate, that we have fifty years of experience from which we must draw lessons.
However, I must also stress that we need not to be discouraged by this situation because Africa is a developing continent and integration is an on-going process. Nevertheless, we must lend momentum to the process by continuing to debate and come up with bold measures to accelerate integration, while also drawing from success stories outside the continent. I believe with a clear-cut vision and determination to succeed, we can foster the fundamental change that is key to moving us forward, in the journey to realize a fully integrated continent.
I believe that the theme of this Conference is a topical issue that both intriguing and exciting as it determines to a large extent, how far we can take the integration of our continent forward. We hope that each and every one of you here will have the opportunity to provide valuable comments on it, with a view to charting a way forward for the integration of our continent.
To capture the gist of the theme of the Conference, we are expected, among others, to honestly provide our opinions, on some of the innovative ways to make African citizens have full ownership of the integration process, as a way of ensuring that it both relevant and value-adding to their welfare and prosperity.

Excellencies, Distinguished, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Stakes are high, and key decisions must be taken if we are to move forward. The major concern is the fact that most of our commitments and agreed actions remain just on paper, and are often never implemented. As you will agree with me, achieving African integration is not an end itself. It must have a purpose for the citizens of Africa. It must offer them prosperity, security, freedom and endless opportunities form their nation-states single handedly. An important point to bear in mind is that the ultimate objective of both regional and continental integration is to enable African countries to benefit from economies of scale, reduce transaction costs and use trade as an engine of sustained economic growth and development. This requires greater trans-boundary cooperation and joint projects and alignment of our priorities.
We must continue to focus on how best to accelerate the integration of our continent as well as how we can achieve a more intensified economic transformation by making full use of natural endowments, common objectives and global opportunities.
Our vision for a transformed and integrated African economy with first class infrastructure, borderless economic space with no barriers to movement of goods, services and persons, is, I believe, a key foundation for a sustainable and job-creating economy for the betterment of the lives of our people.
I am aware that a number of RECs have made substantial progress in a number of key areas and this success is not uniform across all the five (5) regions of Africa, and a great deal of work remains to be done.
In this respect, allow me, to applaud our leaders, for the establishment of the COMESA-EAC-SADC FTA Tripartite in 2008, which I consider to be an important milestone in the integration process towards the creation of a single Free Trade Area embracing 26 countries. In line with the historical decision of establishment of a Continental free trade Area (CFTA) by the indicative date of 2017, a lot remains to be done collectively in order to make this objective achievable. A progress report will be presented to us on this issue.

Excellencies, Distinguished, Ladies and Gentlemen
As has been the standard practice, this meeting will examine the Status of Integration Report as well as the Follow-up Report on the Implementation of Recommendations from the 6th Conference of African Ministers in Charge of Integration.
You will recall that the Last Conference held in Mauritius in April 2013 requested the AUC to develop a harmonized framework to scientifically assess the implementation of the integration process, using integration indicators and Common Benchmarks of evaluation and assessment, based on the AU wide Development Plan. In this respect, I would like to inform you that the AUC and UNECA have started working on implementing this recommendation. In this respect a first draft of the ‘’African regional integration index’’ was presented during the Joint Conference of AU Ministers of Economy and Finance and the UNECA Conference of Ministers of finance, planning and Economic development held in March 2014, in Abuja, Nigeria. The document was enriched by the comments and inputs and will be presented during this conference for consideration and adoption. The index of African regional integration can become an indispensable reference for African Governments, enabling them to see how much progress they are making towards realizing the agreed vision of an integrated Africa, and in which areas of the integration agenda they might be lagging behind.

Excellencies, Distinguished, Ladies and Gentlemen
In conclusion, I would like to reiterate that the central pillar of Africa’s integration process should be anchored on her people. Ordinary citizens should enjoy the benefits associated with regional integration, and in this connection allowing for free movement of persons across the continent needs to be made possible. Connected to this, is the need to put in place favourable conditions that enhance the skills and capabilities of our labour force, especially, those of the youth and women.
It is also my considered opinion, that, for Africa to become an active player in the global economy, the process of integration must focus on our competitiveness, integrating markets through trade liberalization, harmonizing policies, infrastructure development and promoting public-private partnerships. For this to happen, expanding and interconnecting Africa’s infrastructure is critical. I want also to believe that regional integration is a political as much as an economic project. The lack of sustained political commitment to put in place agreed policies and plans has been one of Africa’s major shortcomings, and in the context of the African Union, this is an issue that needs to be addressed.
Our agenda is loaded, and so on this note, let me thank all of you for sparing some of your valuable time for attending this very important Conference.
Thank for your kind attention!

Dates: 
July 14, 2014
File: 
PDF icon Statement (En)
English

Statement of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma to the 25th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council

Statement of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma to the 25th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council

Malabo, 23-24 June 2014

 

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, and Chairperson of the Executive Council; His Excellency Ahmed Ould Teguidi

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Equatorial Guinea, His Excellency, Mr. Agapito Mba Moku
Your Excellencies Members of the Executive Council;
The Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission,
Mr. Erastus Mwencha;
Dr. Carlos Lopes, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa
Leaders of AU Organs
Representatives of the Regional Economic Communities
Commissioners of the African Union Commission;
Representatives of International Organisations
Vice President of the African Development Bank
Excellencies, Ministers, Leaders of Delegations and Ambassadors and Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Distinguished Officials from Capitals
Distinguished Invited Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
A warm welcome to this 25th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of our Union.

Let me again sincerely thank the President, the Government and the people of Equatorial Guinea for their kind hospitality and for putting at our disposal the excellent conference facilities.

We warmly welcome the delegation of Egypt, our dear brothers and sisters, back home. We will hopefully soon also welcome back the delegation of Guinea Bissau.

Your Excellencies

We are holding this meeting and the Summit on the theme Agriculture and Food Security, at a time when our vision for the next fifty years, Agenda 2063. The Africa we Want, is taking shape.

Agriculture and Food Security, correctly so, is a critical priority for Africa. If we get this right, it has the potential - along with what we do with the Blue economy - not only to propel us towards our goal of eradicating poverty and hunger in one generation, but also to contribute towards the industrialization through agro-processing and the development of infrastructure.

At the same time, agriculture and agribusinesses are critical to the empowerment of people, especially women and youth, and in the Summit debate we must look at the practical actions necessary to achieve this, including modernizing and mechanizing agriculture.

We are already in Year One of the fifty years horizon of Agenda 2063. We are therefore paying particular attention to those priority areas that will propel our Agenda forward in the first decade.

Amongst the things our citizens called for during the consultations and which we ourselves prioritized in our four year Strategic Plan include: the revolution in education, skills, science, technology and innovation; and our young people are calling for harmonized curricula so they can study and work anywhere in the continent; the free movement of Africans; the Continental Free Trade Area; industrialization and economic development; and connecting all capitals and commercial centres through infrastructure, rail and roads, energy and ICT.

We look forward to the Extra-ordinary AU Summit on Employment that will be held in Ouagadougou in September this year.

Excellencies,

Without a strong Union and Regional Economic Communities as the building blocks, it will be more difficult to move our agenda forward effectively. Your Session must therefore of necessity deal with the institutional issues.

The Commission is presenting its 2015 Budget for approval in the context of the ongoing discussions on Alternative Sources of Funding of the AU. It is a matter that has been referred to the Ministers of Finance and Economic Planning, and we look forward to their progress report and recommendations. At the same time, the financing of the Union, the stemming of the illicit capital flows and domestic resource mobilization must continue to occupy the attention of the Executive Council.

The Summit will also consider amendments to protocols of critical AU organs, such as the Pan African Parliament (PAP), the African Court for Human and People’s Rights and discuss the draft statutes of the African Monetary Fund. The proposals on the table seek to strengthen the contributions of these institutions to Africa’s integration, and to build African capacity to deal with its issues.

During the Agenda 2063 consultations, we witnessed the enthusiasm of the civil society and citizens organisations to be part of the Pan African movement for change. We must therefore do more to ensure that the election of the new Executive of ECOSOC takes place soon, so that it can play its critical role as a voice of civil society in our Union.

As we reported in the January Summit, Excellencies, we are paying continuous attention to the effectiveness and efficiency of Commission. We introduced changes to make our travel policy more efficient, all administrative structures required in the Staff rules are operational, we are on course with the implementation of the international finance and accounting standards and with the review of the Financial Rules.

Our turnaround time on recruitment is improving, with special attention to the quotas of under-represented countries, and moving the AU staff profile closer to gender parity. We will also before the end of the year conclude the review of the Commission’sorganizational structure and take stock of the skills of Commission staff.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

There is a general sense that the continent is moving forward: our economies are growing, we are all focusing on infrastructure development; agriculture and food security; domestic resource mobilization; industrialization, investments and growth; education, skills, jobs, the health of our peoples and on regional economic integration.

As we shift gear towards implementation of Agenda 2063, we urge the Executive Council to remain engaged and hands-on, so as to ensure that we stay on course.

Since the beginning of 2014, we have had elections (at Presidential, Local or Parliamentary levels) in Algeria, Benin, Egypt, Guinea Bissau, Malawi, Mauritania and South Africa.

The normative framework of the AU Charter on Democracy Governance and Elections remains our guide, supported by the AU Elections observer missions, including long-term observers. They are deployed on the ground to work with Member states and the National Electoral institutions to ensure peaceful elections that reflect the will of the people.

We recognize that some challenges remain, but we are moving forward. For the rest of 2014, we must ensure that we continue to have peaceful and successful elections.

Despite the general positive trajectory, we remain deeply concerned about the situations in Central African Republic, and South Sudan; the massive loss of life, the scourge of sexual violence, and the damage inflicted on the populations of these countries.

IGAD, the African Union, and the international community remain seized with these matters. We must continue to work tirelessly for the seize fire in South Sudan to hold and for the violence in CAR to stop.

We urge all parties to help create the conditions for peace, reconciliation and development; so that the people can bury and mourn their dead, can rebuild their lives, plough their fields and heal their communities.

We strongly condemn the acts of terrorism against Kenya and Nigeria, and the killing and kidnapping of innocent civilians. Unless we work with the governments to stem this tide, we are all vulnerable because terrorism, extremism and intolerance endanger Africa’s march towards prosperity, peace and integration.

Excellencies, the negotiations on the post-2015 Development Agenda will start soon. The High Level Committee has done a lot of work since the January Summit to ensure that the Common African Position is finalized and popularized. We must also ensure that our Ambassadors in New York negotiate on the basis of this Common African Positions. We are also moving towards the important 2015 Climate change negotiations.

The critical matter of Africa’s trade with the world, in the post-Bali context and at bilateral level with the EPAs and AGOA, remains high on the agenda, as we seek to build trade partnerships that will aid African industrialization and integration, its agricultural development and its drive for shared prosperity.

In March, we had the Africa-EU Summit, and we will be guided by your deliberations on preparations for the Africa-US and Africa-Turkey Summits in the coming months. It is important that we seize these opportunities to speak with one voice and advance the agenda of the continent. Africa therefore continues to navigate its way in global matters, resolute about furthering its common interests.

Your Excellencies, you have a heavy workload ahead of you.

I wish you fruitful deliberations and thank you for your attention.

Merci beaucoup!
Muito obrigado!
Muchas gracias!
Shukran jazilan!
Asante sana!

Dates: 
June 23, 2014
File: 
PDF icon Statement (En)
English

Statement by H.E. Dr. Nkozasana Dlamini ZUMA, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, at the 31st NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC)

Statement by H.E. Dr. Nkozasana Dlamini ZUMA
Chairperson of the African Union Commission
At the 31stNEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC)

Malabo, 25 June 2014
 

Excellency, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and Chairperson of the African Union

Excellency, Macky SALL, President of the Republic of Senegal and Chairperson of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee

Excellencies, Members of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee

Excellency, John Koufor, former President of Ghana and Special Envoy of the UNSG on Climate Change

My brothers and Sister, Dr. Carlos Lopes, Executive Secretary of the UNECA, Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki, Chief Executive Officer of the NEPAD Agency and Dr. Rosetta Silva from APR

Dr. Jose da Silva, Director General of FAO

AUC Deputy Chairperson Erastus Mwencha and other Commissioners

Distinguished Heads of Regional Economic Communities and International Organizations

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am honored to address this 31th Session of the NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC).

A warm thank you to the Government and the people of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea for the kind hospitality accorded to all delegations since our arrival in the beautiful city of Malabo.

Our continued gratitude to the African Leaders in the Orientation Committee for their unwavering commitment to the implementation of NEPAD.

As we enter the next fifty years of our continental Union, the elaboration of Agenda 2063, The Africa we Want, marks a leap forward. It builds on our proud Pan African movement, that gave us the OAU Charter, Monrovia Declaration, the Lagos Plan of Action, the Abuja Treaty and NEPAD, with each of these as building blocks towards Africa’s renaissance.

The NEPAD Agency is a critical instrument of the Union, and will be a driving force for the implementation of Agenda 2063, building on the experience of its work in agriculture, science and technology, economic transformation and resource management and mobilisation, regional integration, and infrastructure and human development.

Having completed the Agenda 2063 work on aspirations and objectives for the next fifty years, we are shifting gear towards action on those immediate areas that will take our transformation to the next level, as NEPAD since its adopted in 2001. This includes Agriculture, Agro-processing and Food Security; it includes the skills, science and technology revolution and industrialisation and value addition. More specifically, we are looking at faster action on critical infrastructure issues: in energy, transport, ICT, irrigation, ports and exploring Agenda 2063 flagship projects, including the integrated high-speed rail network to connect our capitals in line with PIDA transport vision and a Pan African e-university, using technology to massify skills development.

Our annual theme is dedicated to Agriculture and Food security provides an opportunity to think and act together on the practical issues for take-off for our belated agrarian revolution, and build resilience against climate change. This must of necessity include the modernisation and mechanisation of agriculture. I was told that on average our farmers are 50 years and older. Agriculture is not attractive to the next generation, because it is still agriculture of yesteryear. We must also therefore faster on irrigation infrastructure; expanding women and young people’s access to land, capital and agricultural inputs; infrastructure for storage, transport and agribusinesses and developing our human resources, including training scientists and agronomists.

Your Excellencies, amongst NEPAD’s areas of expertise is in resource mobilisation, including the recent Dakar Finance Summit for Africa’s infrastructure held under the leadership of His Excellency President Macky Sall, which looked at various domestic financial instruments such as tax revenues, pension funds, remittances, earnings from minerals and fuels, sovereign funds, international reserves, stock exchanges and bond markets.
As we build the African Development Bank’s Africa50 Equity Fund, we must therefore call on Member States and the African private sector to invest in African infrastructure, where the returns are so much higher than elsewhere. In the same vein, we must support the initiatives of other regional financial institutions, the private sector, RECs and the investments by Member states in infrastructure in their countries and regions. It is encouraging to see how many countries are putting national resources into infrastructure, but this is not enough.

As we engage the rest of the world to attract foreign direct investments and build trade partnerships, this must be done in a manner that aid African industrialisation, that helps infrastructure development, its fair market share of global trade, beneficiation of its natural resources and economic transformation.
Excellencies, we will achieve our aspirations by acting together and learning by doing.
I thank you for your kind attention and wish the 31stNEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee fruitful deliberations.

Thank you.

Dates: 
June 25, 2014
File: 
PDF icon Statement (En)
English

Keynote Speech By H.E. Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture onthe occasion of the Celebration of the hundred years of Dr Norman Borluag, Jinja, Uganda

Keynote Speech By H.E. Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture
on the occasion of the Celebration of the hundred years of Dr Norman Borluag
Jinja, Uganda
10th July 2014

Your Excellency Edward Ssekandi, Vice President of the Republic of Uganda
Your Excellency NicéphoreDieudonnéSoglo, Former President of the Republic ofBenin and Member of the Board of the Sasakawa Africa Association
Honourable Professor Ruth Oniang’o, Chairperson of Sasakawa Africa Association and Sasakawa Africa Fund for Extension Education

Honourable Tress Bucanayandi, Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries of Uganda
Dr John Hardman MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Carter Center
MrYoheiSasakawa, Chairman of the Nippon Foundation
DrAmit H Roy, President and Chief Executive Officer ofthe International Fertiliser Development Centre (IFDC)
AmbKenneth Quinn, President of the World Food Prize FoundationSsekitoleko…
Honourable Victoria Sekitoleko, Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries of Uganda
Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honor, on behalf of the African Union Commission and on my own behalf, toregister appreciation for the opportunity to participate in this important Symposium on the Borlaug Legacy. I would like to thank the Government and people of the Republic of Uganda for the warm welcome and hospitality as well as the excellent arrangements for the success of this symposium and associated events. Starting from Makerere University on 8 July and then yesterday with the youth and later at the Agricultural and Trade Show in Jinja, the events do mark the road to ‘taking science, research, innovation and technology to the farmer’.
While I thank Uganda for graciously accepting to host this Symposium, I also wish to commend Sasakawa Africa Association for choosing Uganda to host. Uganda is one of the 40 AU Member States to have signed the Country Compact for the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) which as you know isour overarching continental framework for increasing agricultural production and productivity, improving food and nutrition security and eradicating poverty. We also saluteUganda for having formulated a credible Agriculture Sector Development Strategy and Investment Planthat is already under implementationto advance the agricultural transformation agenda. Furthermore, Uganda is nearly on track to reach the MDG target of halving hunger. In 1990, the child malnutrition prevalence was 20.6 percent. It has decreased since then, falling to 17.2 percent in 2007 and it has been continuing to decrease. For these and many other reasons the choice of Uganda for this Symposium is a perfect one.Indeed, Uganda is one the AU member States where the Borlaug legacy for agricultural transformation is being pursued. I must point out at this juncture that a number of AU member States where Sasakawa Africa Association has made interventions are emerging as champions of African agricultural transformation. And we find their best practices and success stories encouraging particularly theirremarkable work in supporting and promoting crop productivity enhancement, post-harvest loss reduction and agro-processing; public private partnership and market access; human resource development for agriculture and monitoring and evaluation for results and impact and especially promoting smallholder farmers and agricultural technologies. The African Union is keen to see these models upscaled and replicated especially in this 2014 Year of Agriculture and Food Security in Africa. Through the work of SasakawaAfrica Association and others we have noticed that Africa can make it the way Latin America, Asia and other parts of the worldmade it.Placingimportance on smallholders and the kind of relevant supportive policies, together with the inclusion of supportive institutions i.e. for inputs, for marketing, extension, for value chain development etc made countries like India attain the green revolution.
Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Fortunately, Africa has the potential and the opportunities are abound. Currently, Africa spends more than 40 Billion US Dollars a year on food imports but just imagine if this amount was invested in agricultural production!Africa’s population is growing by about 3 percent per year, among the fastest in the world, and so is their demand for food and hence a market for agriculture. The African market is now close to one billion people, including 123 million middle class consumers.Africa’s economic growth is strong, with 7 out of the 10 world’s fastest growing economies being in Africa. In addition, the growing urbanization in AU Member States augurs well for the agri-business and agro-processing industry, which in turn further catalyze agricultural production. All these are opportunities adding to the fact that Africa is endowed with abundant agriculturally suitable land that is yet to be fully and optionally utilized. It also has abundant water resources that can stimulate agricultural production through irrigation. Currently, only 4 percent of available water resources are being used for agriculture and only 6 percent of arable land is irrigated.
In addition, available technologies including those championed by SasakawaAfrica Association can significantly contribute in increasing agricultural productivity both on African farms and across different stages of agri-food value chain. A bulging population of increasingly educated youth and women are eager to be involved in innovative and gainful entrepreneurship and employment in this sector. Engaging and empowering them in order to bring their dreams into reality is a core objective of the AU through CAADP and is supportive of the long-term vision of Africa encapsulated in Africa Agenda 2063.
All these notwithstanding, Africa still leads the rest of the world as the most seriously affected by food insecurity: 1/4 of the world’s undernourished, despite progress made in the last 20 years; there are more stunted children in Africa today than there were 20 years ago.

Food insecurity is primarily a rural phenomenon but, urban populations are also increasing enduring the risk of food insecurity due to growing urban dwellers and the pace of food production being outmatched by the rate of population growth. As we heard at Makerere University, if food production is growing at a lower rate than population growth, there is a gap and it is a problem.

Therefore, we all need to deliver significant results and demonstrate impact to end hunger by 2025.

Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen

Aware of the potential of agriculture in eradicating hunger and poverty on our Continent, the African Union Heads of State and Governement endorsed CAADP in 2003 in Maputo where they committed to allocate at least ten percent of their annual public budget to agriculture.
In this continous effort to reduce hunger and poverty on the continent through an accelerated Agricultural Transformation, The Year 2014 was declared by our leaders as the African Union Year of Agriculture and Food Security to mark the tenth anniversary of CAADP. In taking this forward, since January 2014, the African Union Commission in collaboration with other Pan African institutions and with support from partners, has engaged in a series of major events for achievingbetter awareness and wider engagement with African Citizens on advancing agriculture for food and nutriton security as well as poverty eradication. African leaders have renewed their commitment by adopting an AU Declaration to sustain the CAADP Momentum through achieving specific goals and targets for agricultural transformation. Also, commitments have been taken by Partners in aligning, harmonizing and coordinating their program support and Mutual Accountability for results and impact on n the ground.

At the 23rd Ordinary Session of the African Union on 27 June 2014 in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, our Heads of State and Government adopted the Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods. The Commitments of our leaders included:
• The Recommitment to the principles and values of the CAADP process;
• The Commitment to Enhancing Investment Finance in Agriculture;
• The Commitment to Ending Hunger in Africa by 2025;
• The Commitment to halving poverty, by 2025, through inclusive agricultural growth and transformation;
• The Commitment to boosting intra-African Trade in Agricultural Commodities and services;
• The Commitment to enhancing resilience of livelihoods and production systems to climate variability and other related risks;
• The Commitment to Mutual Accountability to Actions and Results.

Committing to zero hunger would require that African Union Member States:

• At least double current agricultural productivity levels through inputs quality and affordable inputs for crops, livestock, fisheries, knowledge, information and skills, irrigation and mechanization;
• Reduce post-harvest losses (PHL) at least by half by 2025;
• Integrate measures for increased agricultural productivity with social protection initiatives focusing on vulnerable social groups through food and cash reserves, early warning systems, identified communities for interventions, and increased consumption of locally produced food items;
• Improve nutritional status, particularly for children who are the present and future of our continent that is rising.

Our leaders’ commitments and recommitments reflect the aspirations ofthe African citizens as we gathered from the consultations we; the African Union Commission, conducted with governments, private sector, civil society and our partners across the continent prior to the Malabo AU summit. This further reinforces the fact that the AU professes to be people centred in pursuit of the goal of a united, strong and prosperous Africa, a dynamic force in the global arena. The prusuit and achiement of these goals will also be in line with the Theme of the just concluded 50th Anniversary of the OAU/AU, which is Pan Africanism and African Renaissance. It is also part of the Africa Agenda 2063 on the Africa We Want.

Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen

Today, Sasakawa Africa Associationis celebrating the centenary of Doctor Norman Borlaug, the father of the “Green Revolution” in Latin America and Asia and an eminent personality of agricultural research and development in Africa through his leadership in conducting the work of Sasakawa and other similar dedicated approaches in other regions of the World.
His research on wheat and his efforts in strengthening the capacities of scientists and extension workers to bring the technologies and innovations to the farmers resulted into higher yield in wheat production in developing countries through double wheat seasoning, increased disease resistance among others.
Because of his achievements to use quality seed, fertilizer, appropriate technologies and irrigation to prevent hunger and povertyglobally, one has reason to believe what has been said by some that Dr. Borlaug has "saved more lives than any other person who has ever lived."
We highly commend Sasakawa Africa Association’s Mission in furtherance of the Borlaug legacy to transform African extension advisory services in partner countries to assure greater family food security and more profitable participation in commercial activities along the value chain, while respecting natural resources contributes to the Continental efforts in ending hunger in Africa.
Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen

This year, the AU Member States reaffirmed their commitment to the CAADP principles, and to new investments in agriculture that embrace the full value chain, improve markets and trade, and provide finance at a scale to meet the wealth and job creation potential of the continent.

As education levels rise, civil societies become more vibrant and progress achieved in political and economic governance on the continent, Africans are beginning to and will demand more of their political leaders over the coming decade.

Political leadership is essential in the next decade to discern opportunities and threats, implement the vision for African development, and execute a strategy to both respond and lead others to take the steps necessary.

The African Union Commission pledges to the Republic of Uganda and all AU Member States, civil society organizations such asSasakawa Africa Associationand other agriculture sector actors commitment to the already mentioned goals for an Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods in Africaandcontinuedsupport toaccelerate the Countries CAADP National Agricultural Investment Plans and CAADP priority programmes implementation to end hunger in Africa by 2025.

Let us all contribute in eradicating hunger on our continent by 2025.
Definitely together we can do that.
I thank you

Dates: 
July 10, 2014
File: 
PDF icon Speech (En)
English

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Department FrontPage