H.E. Moses Vilakati

COMMISSIONER FOR AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, BLUE ECONOMY AND SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT

AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION

Delivered During

AU High Level Mission to the Republic of Malawi Supporting Accelerated Implementation of the CAADP Kampala Declaration

1. June 2026, Lilongwe, Malawi

• Honorable Minister, Roza Fatch Mbilizi, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development
• Distinguished Government Officials,
• Representatives of Development Partners,
• Ladies and Gentlemen

Good morning!!

Let me begin by expressing my heartfelt gratitude for the warm welcome and generous hospitality extended to me and my delegation. It is a great pleasure to be here in Malawi, a country of immense potential and opportunity.

I also bring you warm greetings from H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, who is steering our progress towards Agenda 2063 and is equally committed to advancing agricultural transformation across Africa.

Honorable minister, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Africa is a continent richly blessed with vast arable land, abundant water resources, diverse ecosystems, a youthful and energetic population, and immense agricultural potential. We are home to nearly 60 percent of the world's uncultivated arable land, extensive inland and costal water bodies, rich fisheries resources, and a growing market of over 1.4 billion people. These assets were supposed to position our continent not only to feed itself but also to become a major contributor to global food security.

Yet, despite these tremendous endowments, Africa continues to face significant challenges in unlocking its full agricultural and economic potential. More than 300 million people remain food insecure, while the continent spends over USD 100 billion annually on food imports. Climate change continues to disrupt agricultural systems, reducing productivity and increasing vulnerability, while employment opportunities, particularly for young people, remain insufficient.

This is not because we lack policy frameworks. Not because we lack strategies. Not because we lack plans. In fact, we are good at planning.  Look at CAADP a comprehensive framework that was developed 20 years ago -from Maputo to Malabo- to transform agriculture and ensure food security in Africa.

So, we must ask ourselves: why do these challenges persist?

Why, after so many years of Planning, do we still struggle to transform our food systems?

The answer is clear: We have not focused enough on delivery and implementation. We have not consistently turned policies into action.

Honorable minister, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is in this spirit that we are here in Malawi today- to renew our commitment to implementation, to accelerate action, investments and to ensure that our collective efforts deliver tangible results for our people in Malawi and in Africa.

Honorable minister, ladies and gentlemen,

Last year in January we met in Kampala and renewed our commitment to CAADP and during this year’s years AU summit the heads of states elevated CAADP as one of the flagship programs of the second ten-year implementation plan of Agenda 2063. So, we now must deliver!! This cannot be achieved doing business as usual!!

To accelerate CAADP implementation, as well as in response to several consultations that I had with Heads of State and Government during my campaign, I developed a plan called 100 Day Rolling Plan with a focus on immediate, high impact interventions to support our member states in improving soil health, expanding access to quality seeds through seed banks development, developing local fertilizers blending facilities, strengthening irrigation, developing the blue economy, mobilizing investment, and creating jobs for our youth.

We begin with soil health. Technical consultations yesterday have indicated that here in Malawi, from the Shire Highlands to the plains of Kasungu, our soils nutrients are  depleted. Every year, erosion robs us of the very foundation of our food security. If we do not heal the land, and if we do not know what to grow and where, we cannot feed our people. Farmers need to have soil testing kits so that they have instant information on the nutrients their soil needs. This is why soil mapping and testing are at the center of this plan.

As we move into the implementation phase of the plan, we have identified a few countries for the pilot program. Given Malawi’s agricultural potential and the importance of staple crops to national and regional food security, Malawi has been chosen as a strategic entry point for the in the region. I am pleased to inform this gathering that Malawi is the first country to engage nationally on the 100 Day rolling Plan for accelerated implementation of CAADP.

I had several engagements with Honourable Ministers yesterday, and I am encouraged by the strong political commitment and determination to transform agriculture, reduce the food import bill, and achieve food security in this country. Now all of us- technical experts, development partners, financiers, and the private sector-must match that commitment with action.

As we move into the technical session today, it is now up to you, the technical team, to develop concrete, implementable, and bankable proposals aligned with the agreed priority intervention areas of this mission.

We have also invited strategic partners, many of whom are in this room today. My message to you is equally direct. We are not here simply to produce another report or another set of recommendations. We are here to identify concrete actions that can be supported, financed, and implemented- this will require strong partnerships, innovative financing, and coordinated action. Your role will be critical in this process.

Let me conclude by reaffirming AUC’s commitment in supporting Malawi’s effort to transform agrifood systems and ensure food security in Africa.

Thank you all and I wish you a productive session!!