The Representative of the Host REC (ECOWAS),
The Representative of the Government of Ghana,
Distinguished Delegates,
Esteemed Partners,
Dear Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of His Excellency Commissioner Vilakati of ARBE, I am pleased to join you at this Workshop on Peer-to-Peer Learning and Exchange on the domestication and implementation guidelines, and indicator development for the CAADP Kampala Strategy (2026-2035), taking place here in Accra from 16 to 18 December 2025.

Let me begin by expressing appreciation to the Government of Ghana for hosting, and to ECOWAS for the support and leadership provided as host REC. I also acknowledge all RECs and Member States participating in this exchange, as well as the facilitators and organisers supporting the process.

This workshop matters because it is not another meeting about CAADP. It is a working moment in our transition to the Kampala CAADP Strategy and Action Plan (2026-2035), endorsed by our Heads of State and Government, which sets six core commitments, 22 targets, and 48 intervention areas for agrifood systems transformation.

Over the past two decades of CAADP, learning has been continuous. We have produced frameworks, assessments, and a growing body of experience across regions and countries. The message from the Commissioner is straightforward: it is now time to implement the Kampala CAADP differently. We must treat lessons from a decade of Malabo implementation as a practical obligation and use them to strengthen delivery under Kampala.

The Commissioner is very particular about what success must look like. He believes that success is not a refined diagnosis or another set of gap analyses. Success is impact at country level. That is why the agenda prioritises strengthening and internalising practical domestication and implementation guidelines, including a checklist and modalities that can support Member States and RECs.

Let me underline a point that guides the Commissioner’s approach. He will not stand business as usual. He says he has no space for processes that produce reports but does not produce measurable improvements against the Kampala targets. This workshop must move us from discussion to execution readiness, grounded in implementation realities such as how we organise leadership and coordination, how we plan and execute investments, and how we ensure readiness to deliver.

He also wants to be clear on mutual accountability. Mutual accountability is not limited to a biennial cycle, a scorecard, or compliance against indicators. It requires partners to share a common vision, make voluntary commitments, use jointly agreed indicators, and uphold answerability through transparency and peer review. Under Kampala, accountability must also extend across stakeholders, including through stronger country-level mechanisms and platforms for accountability and peer learning.

This workshop reflects that wider framing, including discussions on mutual accountability, results framework and learning architecture, and on strengthening linkages between the Biennial Review process, National and Regional Agriculture Investment Plans, and Joint Sector Reviews. We should protect a clear principle throughout these discussions: measurement must serve implementation, not substitute for it.

Practically, Kampala gives us a clearer implementation logic: a four-part cycle that moves from governance, to analytics, to investment, to accountability and learning, and then back to governance. We should use this cycle as a discipline for results, not as an excuse for delay. Diagnostics and evidence should serve one purpose: to sharpen investment choices and accelerate implementation that delivers impact.

In that spirit, I welcome the emphasis on simplifying and strengthening measurement for impact. The Mutual Accountability, Results Framework and Learning approach highlights simplicity, including one indicator per target, to reduce complexity and improve focus on impact. This is the direction we should protect as we develop and validate the new Biennial Review indicators for the Kampala era.

Peer-to-peer learning is valuable when it helps countries move faster from intention to delivery. The Malabo era sessions are an opportunity to identify what has worked, why it has worked, and what should be replicated. Where success stories have been documented, the Commissioner encourages us to treat them as practical assets to adapt and scale, not as isolated achievements to admire.

This brings me to ownership. The success of Kampala CAADP depends on complete ownership by Member States. Ownership and leadership depend on domestication in national plans, legislation where required, and national leadership in mobilising investments. Partners play important roles, including technical assistance and capacity strengthening, but they must align continental priorities and support Member States to integrate Kampala commitments into NAIPs and RAIPs. We should not allow a process driven by others to substitute for Member State leadership.

Over the next three days, you will consider the guidelines, indicator development and the continental roadmap and next steps. I ask each delegation and institution to approach this as a delivery exercise: what decisions must we take here so that countries can implement from 1 January 2026 with clarity, coherence, and momentum.

In closing, I encourage all delegates to engage candidly and constructively. If we leave Accra with practical, Member State owned tools and a clear path to implementation, we will have honoured both the letter and the spirit of Kampala.

I wish you a productive workshop and I thank you.