Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: November 3, 2016-The African Union Commission’s Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA) in collaboration with the NEPAD Agency today hosted the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Partners’ Business Meeting. The Business Meeting is meant to facilitate joint review and planning, sharing innovations and to chart an agenda to deliver results, and will in particular, focus on the implementation of the 2014 AU Malabo Declaration for agricultural transformation on the African continent.
Opening the meeting, AUC Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture H.E Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, informed the meeting that the AUC and NEPAD Agency worked jointly on developing a comprehensive business plan to facilitate resource mobilization on CAADP for achieving the Malabo Declaration.
She further informed them that the AUC and the NEPAD Agency together with the Development Partners Coordination Group (DPCG) had developed a new mechanism on financing Malabo implementation in AU Member States.
“Let us strengthen collaboration amongst African organizations to enable agricultural transformation in Africa,” Commissioner Tumusiime said. “The momentum is high and we need to seize this opportunity to agree on the reliable and adequate support arrangements at continental, regional and national levels to support CAADP implementation and achieve the Malabo Declaration keeping in mind the principles of Africa’s Agenda 2063.”
NEPAD Agency CEO, Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki, through a video message to the meeting pointed out three areas for action, namely; targeting countries and Regional Economic Communities for the implementation of the Malabo Declaration; urged all stakeholders to use the guiding documents in the implementation of the Malabo Declaration and requested the development partners to align to the content of the guiding documents of the Malabo Declaration.
Also speaking at the opening ceremony, representative of the DPCG, Mr. Yiannis Neophytou, Head of Division, Policy Issues of Development Cooperation with Africa, in the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany, reiterated the development partner’s support for the implementation of the Malabo Declaration and CAADP.
He said Africa needs African solutions, reaffirming the partners support of the AU Agenda 2063, which calls for an Africa whose development is people driven and hinged on the potential of its own people, especially its women and youth.
Areas for substantive discussion during the two day CAADP Business Meeting will include: CAADP Implementation since Malabo Declaration: Status Progress report ;Domestication of Malabo - New CAADP implementation guidelines; Biennial review architecture; African agriculture transformation scorecard; New business plan to accelerate implementation of Malabo; Partnership and coordination mechanisms and financing Malabo implementation.
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For more information:
Dr. Janet Edeme
Ag. Director DREA-AUC
Email: Edemej@africa-union.org
Communications contact
Ms. Carol Jilombo
DREA
Email: Jilomboc@africa-union.org