INVITATION TO REPRESENTATIVES OF THE MEDIA

What:  The African Union Commission through its Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (DARBE) jointly with the African Union Development Agency- New Partnership for African Development (AUDA) NEPAD is Launching the Comprehensive African Agricultural Programme (CAADP) Strategy and Action Plan 2026-2035. The official launching event will be hosted by the Government of The Republic South Africa.   

When:            05–07 May 2025

Where:           Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa.

Registration link: https://au.int/en/webforms/official-launch-caadp-strategy-and-action-plan

Media opportunities:

The opening session will be open to the media coverage. The official programme includes:

• A high-level opening session of the launch will be open to the media.
• Opening statements by African Union Commission, AUDA/ NEPAD, Government of South Africa and relevant high-level dignitaries.
• Group photo
• Joint press conference and media engagement

Strategic Objectives

The six strategic objectives of the launch is to roll out the CAADP Strategy and Action Plan (2026-2035):

• Intensifying sustainable food production, agro-industrialization, and trade,
• Boosting investment and financing for accelerated agrifood systems transformation,
• Ensuring Food and Nutrition Security
• Advancing Inclusivity and Equitable Livelihoods,
• Building Resilient Agri-Food Systems
• Strengthening Agrifood Systems Governance:
• Expected outcomes

The expected outcomes of the CAADP Strategy and Action Plan and the CAADP Kampala Declaration include:

• Improved understanding of the content, scope, and objectives of the CAADP Strategy and Action Plan (2026-2035) and Kampala Declaration.
• Launch of the domestication and alignment processes at national and regional levels.
• Strengthened multi-level partnerships across governments, development partners, civil society, and the private sector.
• Commitments secured from partners and donors for resource mobilization for the CAADP Strategy and Kampala declaration, and the implementation at continental, regional and national levels.
• Shared vision on implementation modalities, timelines, and governance mechanisms

Context:

The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) has been the driving force behind Africa’s agricultural transformation since its adoption in 2003 in Maputo, Mozambique. The Maputo CAADP framework aimed to accelerate economic growth, reduce poverty, and enhance food security through agriculture led growth, targeting a 6 percent annual agricultural GDP growth by 2015 and at least 10 percent of public expenditures spent on agriculture.

In 2014, the Malabo Declaration expanded CAADP's agenda to seven agricultural transformation commitments with specific goals and targets to be achieved by 2025. Over the past two decades, CAADP has elevated African agriculture, promoted broad participation, and mobilized political commitment and investments. The result is that Africa has witnessed significant agricultural growth from 2000 to 2021, and its agricultural sector becoming the fastest-growing globally. A robust monitoring and reporting mechanism has also been established through the CAADP Biennial Review mechanism. The CAADP Biennial Review report has become the primary source of information on agricultural transformation in Africa.

Despite these advancements, no country was on track to meet to the Malabo CAADP goals and targets by 2025. In 2024, the African Union Assembly voiced concerns about the continent's slow progress, along with emerging threats to African agri-food systems, and called for the development of a post-Malabo CAADP agenda.

In 2024, the process for the development of the CAADP Strategy and Action Plan was started and concluded with its adoption, together with the associated CAADP Kampala Declaration, at the Extraordinary Session of the African Union Heads of State Assembly held from 09-12 January 2025, in Kampala, Uganda.

Participants:

The launch of the CAADP Strategy and Action Plan (2026-2035) will be attended by a various stakeholders, including: AU STC Bureau on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment and AU Member States, the RECs, AUDA- NEPAD and AUC representatives, development partners and international agencies Civil society organizations, youth, women, and farmer organisation representatives.  

For further information, please contact:

1. Dr. Godfrey Bahiigwa – Director of Agriculture and Rural Development Directorate (ARD) African Union Commission Email: BahiigwaG@africa-union.org
2. Ms Estherine Lisinge-Fotabong, Director of Agriculture, Food Security, and Environmental Sustainability at the African Union NEPAD Email:  estherinef@nepad.org

For media inquiries, please contact:

3. Mr.  Molalet Tsedeke, Information and Communications Directorate; AU Commission Tel: 0911-630631; Email: molalett@africa-union.org

Information and Communication Directorate, African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org I Web: au.int | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Follow Us: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube