Statement by H.E. Tumusiime Rhoda Peace Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture on the Occasion of Opening the Workshop for Developing the Strategic Plan and Operational Plan of the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture, Debre Zeit, Ethiopia,
8-12 July 2013

You are all most welcome to this important Retreat. I wish in particular to welcome the new members of staff.
I would like to thank the Director and the organizing team that put together this important retreat. It is good foresight to get this Retreat following on the one we held in South Africa in November last year. When we come together in strategic focusing we look at issues like: what is the unity of purpose? Why are we here? But before getting into strategic focusing, it is important to get closer together so that when we go back, we go as a family.
It is encouraging to see that we keep promoting one another, we keep building capacities where they are needed and especially welcoming the new members of staff who have just joined us. They need a bit more mentoring so as not to get shocks from the new setting. Leaders need to try as much as possible to bring them at par with everyone of you.
Over the week end, a TV Programme called The Undercover Boss was featured whereby the boss was going around the workplace pretending to be an intern, worked with the workers and saw them toil the whole day without rest. Other managers were also brought in disguised in beards and wigs. After that experience, they were called to discuss what they had observed. Many workers were shocked to learn that their managers had been with them all along. Among the lessons learnt were that managers should not start by blaming their workers but by first appreciating the positive elements and then brining up the difficulties but also in a constructive manner by way of coming up with policies for improving the conditions of work.
I wish, therefore, to commend all the members of staff of the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture, both those at the Headquarters and in the Specialised Technical Offices for their contribution and continued commitment to advancing DREA’s strategic areas of intervention, notably: agriculture, food security and rural development and environment and natural resources management.
I need not remind you of the vision of the African Union within which that of the Department falls. As you know, the vision of the AU is that of ‘an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena’. We need to interprete the AU vision and ask ourselves questions whether we are focusing o what the African citizens aspire for and whether we are making them participate in the process of making Africa a dynamic force. And in line with this, DREA’s vision is that of ‘transformation of African agriculture that provides the basis for sustainable growth and prosperity, leading to food security and reducing poverty, reinforced by a more prudent management of the environment and natural resources, including proactive responses to climate change. We have to be action-oriented and results-oriented.
Since we last met in South Africa, what have we accomplished and what have we not achieved, and why not. We should try to fill the gaps.
Further, many decisions have since been made by the AU Policy Organs in May 2013, and we need to read, understand and reflect on the content of the decisions and how to translate them into actions.
Among the decisions are the EXCL/Dec.768 (XXIII) and Assembly/AU/Dec.476 (XXI) on the Strategic Plan of the African Union Commission 2014-2017 and the AU Agenda 2063 ‘A Shared Strategic Framework for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development’, where DREA has contributed input and is expected to input further but more important for this Workshop, for DREA to pursue its efforts and developing its own departmental Strategic Plan and Operational Plan.
I take good note of the work already underway by individual staff through their respective Divisions and Offices to develop and refine workplans.
We also need to reflect on the implications on DREA of the Solemn Declaration EXCL/Dec.782(XXIII) that has important areas that include those under DREA purview at Section D of the Declaration on social – economic development agenda:
- Sub-para (iv) on private sector engagement: where the work that DREA is doing with Grow Africa and AFRACA would fall;
- Sub-para (v) on natural resources where the work of ENR would feature,
- Sub-para (vii) dedicated to agriculture, agribusiness, hunger, nutrition and food security; and
- Sub-para (ix) on climate change and other aspects.
In line with this, I would also like to refer to among others, EXCL/Dec.767 (XXIII) Budget para 16 where US$1.95 million was dedicated for our activities for CAADP at 10 and the AU Year 2014 for Agriculture and Food Security, as part of DREA’s engagement on the year-long series of activities lined up for the OAU/AU 50th Anniversary commemoration. We need to prepare adequately for the desired success to be registered.
It is also important to keep in mind the need to prepare in good time and thoroughly for the upcoming high-level engagements such as CoP19 of the UNFCCC, CoP11 of UNCCD, UNGA, the Africa-Arab Conference of Ministers of Agriculture etc and also furthering our partnerships in our multiple sectors. At this juncture, I wish to thank you for the hard work put in the successfully concluded High-level Meeting o Eradicating Hunger in Africa. Lessons learnt in this exercise need to be applied in preparing for the upcoming events to avoid fire-fighting.
As we set our priorities, let us bear in mind that having a Strategic Plan should give us enough foresight to forestall a situation in future where if not well planned and anticipated, we end up with a host of urgent, important, emerging issues that may displace our set priorities and derail our delivery. The Strategic Plan and Operational Plan we are developing is for our Department with nth framework of the AUC’s Strategic Plan. We should take our department as a family. Let us not plan, each for oneself but plan for the future of Africa, plan for sustainable development, in a manner that will stand the test of time and avoid adhocism.
I look forward to lively interactions, open, analytical, frank in-depth discussions to generate productive outputs.
I now declare this Workshop officially open.