Address by H.E Mrs. Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, African Union Commission, to the RUFORUM Biennial Conference/Annual General Meeting 23 July 2014, VIP Hotel in Maputo, Mozambique

Prof. Levi Nyangura, Vice Chancellor of the University of Zimbabwe and Chair of the Board of the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM)
Prof. Mogi J. H. Nyeko, the Vice Chancellor, Gulu University, Uganda
Prof. Adipala Ekwamu, Excutive Director, RUFORUM
Professors, Vice Chancellors
Distinguished Guests
Ladies And Gentlemen

COURTESIES

I am honored to be at this ceremony and I salute you all who are present for accepting to be part of this important meeting on Transforming Tertiary Agricultural Education. On behalf of the Department for Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA) that I head at the African Union Commission, and on my own behalf, I am excited to be with you and I thank the Vice Chancellors of the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), network for devoting attention to the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) process and for organizing African universities to support development processes on the continent. I thank them also for leading discussions on how to best engage higher education towards enhancing agricultural transformation in Africa.

The Government and people of the Republic of Mozambique deserve our appreciation for the warm welcome, hospitality and excellent arrangements for this important Conference. Mozambique also remains engrained in our minds and hearts for being the place where CAADP was adopted by AU Heads of State and Government.

In the same vein, I wish to commend the RUFORUM Secretariat for organising and availing this platform to enable us engage towards strengthening the overall CAADP process, to strengthen its inclusivity and most importantly to improve our chances of success by engaging agricultural universities as part of a wider strategy for improving human capital required for efficient and effective CAADP implementation for results and impacts desired by African citizens

OPPORTUNITIES FOR AFRICAN AGRICULTURAL TRANSFORMATION

When one looks at the opportunities for agricultural transformation , it has now come to the World’s attention that Africa has made strategic decisions and is making significant strides forward in the context of Africa Agenda 2063 The Africa We Want: “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”. Agricultural transformation is part of Africa Agenda 2063. It is now beyond doubt that agriculture is essential to Africa’s future and particularly for reaching Africa’s long-term vision for attaining socio-economic prosperity for all. In addition, we see agriculture as being central to any solution towards addressing Africa’s current, emerging and future challenges, such as climate change, youth unemployment and overall poverty, and tapping opportunities like wealth creation and intra-African trade as well as international trade coupled with urbanization.

I am pleased that this event, organized by RUFORUM, fits perfectly among the series of engagements to mark this Year whicht, as you know, African Union Heads of State and Government declared as the Year of Agriculture and Food Security. The Year of Agriculture and Food also coincides with the commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), which, as I just mentioned and I am sure you are aware, was adopted in 2003 here in Maputo. And, now, it is also coinciding with RUFORUM at 10. The Year of Agriculture and Food Security is a year to refocus on agriculture and renew commitments of state and non-state actors towards Africa’s agricultural transformation through CAADP. African leaders meeting last month in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea considered the views and recommendations of various stakeholders and partners and adopted the Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods.

SUSTAINING THE CAADP MOMENTUM
We have to sustain the CAADP Momentum. Through the CAADP framework and process, significant achievements have been registered in the last ten years. Since the adoption of CAADP in 2003, African agricultural GDP growth has averaged close to 4% per annum well above the agricultural share of GDP growth rates for the past several decades. AU Member States have allocated more funds from their national budgets to the agricultural sector as we also heard during the discussions this morning. On average, public agricultural expenditures have risen by over 7% per year across Africa since 2003 (more than 12% per year in Africa’s lower-income countries) – nearly doubling public agricultural expenditures since the launch of CAADP. CAADP has also elevated the attention paid to agriculture, and has put African leaders in a stronger position than ever before to lead and own African approaches to agriculture at every level. CAADP has also attracted attention from across the globe with some regions like the Pacific seeking to learn from our experience. More and more development partners are providing greater financial and technical support to the sector. It is great to see you embracing CAADP and ensuring that we move the agenda together. You are a rich resource. For example, this morning I met Prof. Umezuruike Linus Opara, Chair, Postharvest Technology and Process Engineering and the International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering of Stellenbosch University where he is teaching Masters and PhD students. This is an important area of focus given the loss of 30% of what we produce due to post-harvest handling challenges. The private sector, both local and foreign, is getting more and more interested in financing and investing in African agriculture. We only have to regulate international investors for the benefit of Africans. We appeal to African governments to ensure that these gains are targeted towards agricultural growth and the human capital needed to sustain it.

We still need to provide more thoughts as to the sustainable rebuilding of human capital to support the CAADP implementation, a strategic role which African Universities should play more vigorously in taking forward the Accelerated African Agricultural Transformation and Growth. Human capital is a crucial strategic factor for agricultural transformation as new technologies emerge, markets demand higher quality and safer products, and as consumers requirements for quality and delivery time.. The support on Agricultural education and training that you are providing is important and we would request you to follow up and encourage your graduates to apply the knowledge and skills you have imparted on them in agriculture and agribusiness. We need agrifood industries.

The African Union recognizes and appreciates the role of RUFORUM in supporting the engagement of African universities in this development process and is keen to lend its support to RUFORUM in furtherance of our shared objective towards a food and nutrition secure and poverty free Africa.

Let me, at this juncture, repeat the same quote I brought up on Monday when I was introducing H.E Dr Nkosazana Dlsmini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission. When she was addressing the Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, recently: ‘‘Africa today does not train enough bio-scientists, agronomists, engineers and mechanics who can design and maintain agricultural technology, and other critical skills for the modernization of agriculture. We must address this as part of our skills revolution.’’ Subsequently, major goals from the Malabo declaration on youth indicate the creation of job opportunities for at least 30 percent of the youth in agricultural value chains and the support and facilitation preferential entry and participation for women and youth in gainful and attractive agri-business. This is part of what the Malabo Declaration was about. It is you to respond to this. I know you aere already taking steps in that direction. Therefore the youth and the women should be more supported through education and skill development to enable them to apply their skills and knowledge through research, entrepreneurship, agribusiness and other relevant activities along agricultural value chains.

CAADP has a critical role of reorganizing Africa’s agricultural sector through evidence-based decision-making, multi-stakeholder engagement and a structured approach to agricultural transformation on the continent and also engagement with you . In line with this, I am glad that this forum is highlighting the importance of engaging tertiary agricultural education towards a new mind-set that will sustain the CAADP process, attract young and educated African citizens into the sector and transform it to the desired heights to meet the increasing demands of the rapidly increasing population and fast urbanizing AU Member States as well as the high global demand. Agricultural universities such as those that make up the RUFORUM network should be at the hub of this. Thus, I call upon our governments to ensure that Agricultural Tertiary Education is well integrated under their country CAADP investment plans, as agreed upon at the Kampala Ministerial Conference on Higher Education in Agriculture (CHEA) in 2010.
CONCLUSION
As I conclude, a few years ago, actually I believe it was in 2011, I had the honour of holding discussions with Vice Chancellors of the RUFORUM Network in Addis Ababa. I was impressed by their keenness at being innovative and to find ways to improving the outputs of their universities through the launch of the RUFORUM business plan. I have been following with keen interest the evolution of RUFORUM and I am happy to inform you that the African Union is pleased to be associated with you and will also provide you the necessary back up. We wish you all the success.
I take this opportunity to thank once again RUFORUM for its support towards engaging tertiary agricultural education in the CAADP process. We are pleased with the steps made so far and look forward to continuing collaboration.
Since Monday when you hosted the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Her Excellency Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and other delegates across the globe, it was clear that you have taken steps to transform African universities and that you are now key players in Africa’s renaissance and growth pathway. I congratulate you and RUFORUM in particular for the leadership role it is playing in our continent, and for linking universities to policy and development. You have my full support and admiration.
I now have the honour to officially declare the 11th Annual General Meeting of RUFORUM formally open.
I thank you.