High level Stakeholders Meeting of the Rwandan CAADP Post-Compact

December 7 and 8. Kigali. Rwanda’s Ministry of Agriculture has hosted a two-day high-level stakeholder meeting to discuss post-compact implementation of its CAADP Compact in Kigali. This Post - CAADP Compact meeting, aimed to review the role of CAADP in stimulating effective and sustainable poverty reduction, economic growth and food security in Africa. The meeting mainly examined the key drivers enshrined in the CAADP priorities and frameworks and how the alignment of the Rwanda Agriculture Investment Plan to CAADP can facilitate and accelerate the achievement of sector targets and Millennium Development Goal I ( MDG I). Rwanda presented its Agricultural Investment Plan, which is based on its medium-term strategy; Strategic Plan for Agricultural Transformation, 2009-2012 (PSTA II). This is a comprehensive strategic plan which provides detailed budgets for the priority programs and activities necessary in order for Rwanda to achieve the CAADP target of 6% or higher agricultural sector growth deemed necessary to stimulate the required transformation of Rwanda’s rural areas and significantly reduce poverty levels. This level of growth, if driven by factors that benefits the poorest households, has the potential to reduce poverty by almost 8% per year. While this is not quite sufficient to halve poverty by 2015, it would reduce poverty levels by 40% in the next 6 years. In recognition of the central role of Agriculture in its effort to combat poverty and food insecurity, Rwanda was the first country to align itself to the CAADP agenda and to sign the CAADP Compact in 2007. Rwanda has since elaborated her agricultural investment needs and put in place mechanisms to align support and strengthen accountability. On the second day, a half day field visit was organized to give delegates the opportunity to experience firsthand, the agricultural landscape in Rwanda through meeting farmers and visiting some interventions that gave them a chance to understand better the implementation challenges, opportunities and success stories of Rwanda in the last couple of years. Officiating at the closing ceremony, Prime Minister Bernard Makuza reiterated the need to transform the sector and called upon CAADP countries and development partners to walk the talk by undertaking 'real actions' to ensure food security. He noted that development partners should recommit to support infrastructure development, especially in rural areas, and land consolidation programmes. "Rwanda is committed to the CAADP and we are eager to be the first African country to bring the CAADP programme to its completion," pledged Makuza.

 

Advancing the implementation of CAADP Pillar IV in ECCAS/CEEAS sub-region

Thursday, 26 November 2009

24 - 25 November. Yaoundé, Cameroun. Sub-regional Meeting: “Advancing the implementation of CAADP Pillar IV in ECCAS/CEEAS sub-region”. Meeting to promote the awareness on the CAADP roundtable processes and Pillar IV issues for key players drawn from countries of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) .

 The meeting was held at the Yaounde Conference Centre, bringing together researchers and policy makers from 6 out of the 10 countries in the the ECCAS (Economic Community of Central African States) member States. The meeting was hosted by Cameroon under the patronage of the Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. It was organized by the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) in partnership with the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), and the West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF).  
 
The participants at this meeting included representatives of governments and national institutions of various countries of the sub region including Cameroon, Congo, Chad, Burundi, Gabon and Central African Republic, the senior officers of international institutions (ECCAS, CORAF, FARA, AU/NEPAD, Central African States Development Bank) and representatives of farmer organisations.   

  Liberia signs CAADP Compact

 The Government of Liberia signed the Compact on 16th October 2009 during the Country’s roundtable meeting  which ran from the 15th to the 16th of October 2009.The roundtable meeting brought together agricultural stakeholders from outside Liberia including AUC, AU/NEPAD, ECOWAS and FARA and from within Liberia- Government Ministers, Parliamentarians, farmers, the private sector, civil society and development partners. The CAADP Compact in Liberia supports the successful implementation of the Liberia Agricultural Sector Investment Programme (LASIP/NAIP) towards accelerating economic growth and development under the poverty reduction strategy of the Government of Liberia.
Key signatories to the Compact included Liberia’s Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Florence Chenoweth, the Minister of Finance, Minister of Development and Economic Planning, Minister of Trade, Janet Edema on behalf of AUC, Salifou Qusseini on behalf of ECOWAS and Bibi Giyosi of AU/NEPAD. Development partners, farmers associations and civil society were part of the signatories of the Compact.

 Burundi signs CAADP Compact

The Government of Burundi has signed the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Compact. The signing was conducted during the Country’s roundtable meeting, which was opened by the President of Burundi, His Excellency, Pierre Nkurunziza. The roundtable meeting, which was held from August 24-25, 2009 attracted representatives from the Government of Burundi including the Vice Presidents, 19 Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament, the Mayor of Bujumbura and other senior government officials. Also in attendance were agricultural experts including Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), policymakers, the African Union (AU), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the private sector, civil society and development partners. The Compact was signed by Burundi’s Minister of Finance, Hon, Clothilde Niragira, the Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Ferdinand Nderagakura, AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, Madame Rhodah Tumusiime and COMESA Assistant Secretary General, Mr. Stephen Karangizi on behalf of COMESA Secretary General Mr. Sindiso Ngwenya. Others signatories were, Professor Richard Mkandawire representing NEPAD and on behalf of NEPAD CEO, Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki, Mr. Bleoue Ehoue, a representative of the development partners, Mr. Hermenegilde Ndikumasabo representing the private sector and Mr. Pacifique Nininahazwe, representing the civil society.

Ethiopia signs CAADP Compact

The Government of Ethiopia signed the Compact on August 28, 2009 during the Country’s roundtable meeting, which was officially opened on August 27, 2009. The roundtable meeting brought together agricultural experts including Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), policymakers, and representatives from the Government of Ethiopia, the African Union (AU), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), COMESA, the private sector, civil society and development partners. The Compact was signed by Ethiopia’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, H.E AtoTefera Derbew, State Minister of Finance and Economic Development, H.E Ato Ahmed Shide, AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, H.E Rhodah Tumusiime and COMESA Assistant Secretary General, Mr. Stephen Karangizi on behalf of COMESA Secretary General Mr. Sindiso Ngwenya. Other Signatories were Dr. Edmond Wega representing development partners, Mr.Tsegaye Abebe representing the private sector and Dr. Solomon Belete, representing the civil society.Ethiopia is the third Country in the COMESA region to sign the CAADP Compact after Rwanda, which signed in 2007 and Burundi, which signed on August 24th 2009.
The CAADP Compact in Ethiopia supports a comprehensive agriculture and rural development strategy consistent with the Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development to End Poverty
(PASDEP) and will assist in the design of future national development planning frameworks and in particular, inform and influence the preparation of the next phase of the PASDEP. Ethiopia as already exceeded the CAADP budgetary target of 10% to the agricultural sector and agricultural growth target rate of 6% per year.

Sierra Leone signs CAADP Compact

The Government of Sierra Leone signed the Compact on 18th September 2009 during the Country’s roundtable meeting  which ran from the 17th to the 18th of September 2009.The roundtable meeting brought together agricultural experts including Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), policymakers, and representatives from the Government of Sierra Leone, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), ECOWAS, the private sector, civil society and development partners., The CAADP Compact in Sierra Leone supports a comprehensive agriculture and rural development strategy consistent with the National Sustainable Agriculture Development Plan (NSADP) which emanates from the Agenda for Change – Sierra Leone’s second generation Poverty Reduction Strategy. The Compact will assist in the design and implementation of agriculture investment programmes. The Compact targets key sub-sectors such as land and water management, rural-urban infrastructure, commercialisation, trade and marketing, resources management and increased agricultural productivity.
Key signatories to the Compact included Sierra Leone’s Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security Dr. Joseph Sam Sesay, the Minister of Finance and Economic Development Dr. Samura Kamara, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources Haja Hafsatu Kabbah, Salifou Qusseini on behalf of ECOWAS and Prof. Richard Mkandawire of AU/NEPAD. Other Signatories were the World Bank’s Engelbert Gudmusson representing development partners, Mr. Charles Mambu representing civil society and Mr. Mohamed Kella on behalf of the private sector.
Sierra Leone is the second country in the ECOWAS sub region after Togo and the fifth country to sign the CAADP Compact after Rwanda, Burundi, Togo and Ethiopia.

Niger signs CAADP Compact
 
Niamey, 30th September 2009—Niger’s roundtable meetings on the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) successfully ended with the endorsement of the Niger CAADP Compact.
 
The roundtable meetings which were held from the 29th to the 30th of   September attracted close to 200 agricultural experts, policymakers, and  representatives from farmer organizations, private sectors, development  associations and Non-Governmental Organizations’, the Government of  Niger, the African Union (AU) / New Partnership for Africa’s Development  (NEPAD), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)  and development partners.
 
The Compact is a mutual commitment between the Government of Niger  and the various national, regional and international agencies and organizations  to jointly achieve the CAADP Goals.
 The Compact was signed by the President of the inter-ministerial committee  in charge  of the coordination and the implementation of the Rural Development  Strategy  (SDR) his Honourable Amane Moussa, Minister of Agricultural development, the AU-NEPAD, ECOWAS, a representative of the development partners and representatives from the private sector, farmer organizations and NGO/development association.
 
Niger is the third country to sign the CAADP compact agreement in the ECOWAS region after Togo and Sierra Leone and the sixth country to do so Africa wide.
 “This is clearly a landmark moment in the progress of CAADP. The signing of this Compact highlights not only Niger’s commitment towards poverty eradication through agriculture, but also Africa’s focus on the Maputo declaration and broader global agenda towards issues of food security” said Albadé Abouba, the interim Prime Minister.
 
As per the 2003 AU Maputo declaration, NEPAD’s Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Program is based on two major principles: the pursuit of a six percent average annual growth rate at the national level in the agricultural sector, and the allocation of ten percent of national budgets to agriculture.
 
CAADP’s agenda reflects a fundamental shift in the way Africa’s leadership looks at agriculture and its potential contribution to ending poverty, hunger, and malnutrition. The program—fully owned and led by African governments—is at the heart of efforts to achieve growth and national development in line with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
 
According to Ousmane Djibo, Advisor for Agriculture at NEPAD, Niger’s Compact highlights a shared framework for strategic planning and implementation, and for partnership and development assistance in the country’s Agriculture sector.
 
“A key aspect of this will include genuine support towards Niger’s National Investment Agricultural Program (NAIP) based on the well elaborated Rural Development Strategy paper for the purposes of designing quality investment programmes that are in line with the country’s priorities”, commented Dr Ousseini Salifou, ECOWAS commissioner for Agriculture, Environment and water resource.
 
NAIP is a program developed by all stakeholders involved in the CAADP process in Niger as a strategic planning framework for a long term agricultural investment and a platform for cooperation between the partners in the agricultural sector of Niger.
 
For more information contact: Ousmaned@nepad.org or komlab@nepad.org
Visit the CAADP Website: http://www.nepad-caadp.net

September 28, 2009
UK commits to new deal for African agriculture
London, 26th September 2009 – The UK has signed up to a new action plan that will help lift millions out of poverty and hunger by supporting African governments’ agricultural development strategies.
 
The plan will ensure that the £1.1 billion the UK committed for global food programmes at the last G8 summit will be deployed in a structured, accountable way. The Department for International Development will work with the international community to deliver strategies to improve agriculture, developed by African countries themselves.
 
The commitment was made at a high-level event – convened to discuss the G8’s $20 billion of financial commitments to global food production - hosted by Hillary Clinton and Ban Ki Moon in New York.
Speaking at the event Minister for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Ivan Lewis said: “Country-led efforts are being coupled with increased resources from developed country partners in support of country-led plans to improve agricultural growth and food security. For instance, the UK has increased spending on agricultural development to £1.1 billion over the next 3 years.
“This is why in Africa, the UK and most of the donors here support the African Union’s Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme. CAADP provides an African-led framework for ambitious, high quality country-led policies and plans for agriculture and food security. It brings together governments, donors, private sector and other stakeholders. It is about investing wisely to achieve progress on the crucial matter of global food security and ensuring the 1 billion hungry people in 2008 is never repeated, and it sets the agenda for donors to get behind.
“At a meeting in Addis earlier this month CAADP stakeholders reached the Addis Consensus - an agreement on a coordinated approach to supporting the CAADP compacts that are being signed across Africa. At the meeting we agreed practical guidelines for donor support to the CAADP process at a country-level. I am proud the UK played an active role in building such an important consensus.
“Across Africa governments are increasing their political focus on agriculture and food security, this represents an historic opportunity to lift people out of poverty – in Africa 75% of poor people derive their livelihood from agriculture.
“We leave New York with a clear commitment to rapid implementation of the Addis Consensus on the ground, turning our important discussions on the future of food security and agricultural productivity into concrete actions.”
The UK’s Department for International Development has increased its spending on agricultural development to £1.1 billion over the next 3 years, much of which will be targeted on Africa which shows great potential for growth.
The 2008 food crisis saw the number of hungry people exceed 1 billion for the first time in history. Since then, with leadership from the UK, the international community has built commitment and developed plans to reverse this trend and ensure we have enough food for the projected 9 billion people who will share the planet in 2050.
Source: United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) www.dfid.gov.uk/
 
September 12, 2009
Advocates of fisheries gather to forge way forward
Addis Ababa, 2 September 2009 – The first Technical Planning Meeting for the Conference of African Ministers of Fisheries and Aquaculture recently took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with many of the ministers calling for prudent policy reforms in the sector.
According to Dr Abebe Haile Gabriel, who spoke on behalf of the African Union Commissioner (AUC) Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, although the fisheries sector is a key source of income in Africa it is also plagued by many problems that clearly require good policies in order to address them. 
The fisheries sector is an important source of food and nutrition, employment and foreign exchange. However, the sector has many challenges including over-fishing, negative impacts of international trade, climate change and poorly developed aquaculture.
Participants at this engagement included representatives of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), AUC, the Department for International Development (DFID), Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), World Fish Centre, Fisheries Marketing Information and Technical Advisory Services for Fisheries Industry in Southern Africa (INFOSA), Fishery Committee of the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC), representatives from research organisations and institutes, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in Nigeria, IDDRA LTD, the media, Ministry of Water and Fisheries in Gambia, AUC-InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources, NFDS-Botswana and the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisation.
Despite the challenges, participants agreed that some successes had still been achieved within the past four years - since the 2005 Abuja AU-NEPAD Fish for All Summit 2005.
The key message from the AUC emphasised the need to provide Ministers responsible for fisheries with robust technical advice on viable policy reform pathways.
The outcomes of the meeting will feed into the Conference of African Ministers of Fisheries and Aquaculture that will take place from the 1st to 4th December 2009 in the Gambia. The theme for the Ministers Conference is “African Fisheries and Aquaculture: Contributing Towards Africa’s Development and Economic Growth.”

September 7, 2009
CAADP zeroes in on the food security agenda

Addis Ababa, 7 September 2009 – “Calls have been made globally for a coherent, consistent and effective mechanism to respond to issues of malnutrition, food insecurity, hunger and poverty in pursuit of MDGs. For Africa, CAADP provides a strategic approach to this call” said Commissioner Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, the African Union Commissioner (AUC) for Rural Economy and Agriculture.
She was speaking at the start of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Donors and Partners which opened today on Monday the 7th of September 2009, at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“The restoration of agriculture growth and food security is our own responsibility as Africans. This is what CAADP is about. Ownership, doing things differently and the collective commitment of African leaders towards a new agriculture development agenda” said Prof. Richard Mkandawire, the Agriculture adviser at the New Partnership for Africa’s Development.
Speaking on behalf of the development partners John Barrett of the UK’s Department for International Development advised that this was the time to turn commitment into actions on issues of food security and agriculture.
“Fine words need to turn into action. And, that is what we are here for,” he stressed.
This engagement between AU-NEPAD, agriculture focal points from the regional economic communities, focal points from the national ministries and the development partners comes after many recent global commitments to support food security and agriculture. This includes the commitments made in the L’Aquila Joint Declaration on Global Food Security taken at the G8 in 2009.
At the national and regional levels this engagement comes soon after is the signing of the CAADP Compacts in Togo, Burundi and Ethiopia. Pertinently, it also comes after the AU Heads of State and Government Summit in July 2009 in Sirte, Libya through which African leaders’ renewed their committed themselves to implementing the CAADP agenda.
 
For more information contact:
 
Ms. Sihem Kefi, Communications Officer, African Union Commission,
Email: KefiS@africa-union.org / + 251 91 337 7472
Visit the African Union website: http://www.africa-union.org
 
Dr. Andrew Kanyegirire, CAADP Communications Manager, NEPAD
andrewk@nepad.org  / +27 (0) 83 704 4506
Visit the CAADP website: http://www.nepad-caadp.net
 
Addis Ababa, 7 September 2009 – “Calls have been made globally for a coherent, consistent and effective mechanism to respond to issues of malnutrition, food insecurity, hunger and poverty in pursuit of MDGs.

For Africa, CAADP provides a strategic approach to this call” said Commissioner Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, the African Union Commissioner (AUC) for Rural Economy and Agriculture.
She was speaking at the start of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Donors and Partners which opened today on Monday the 7th of September 2009, at the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
This engagement aims to deepen awareness on the CAADP principles and process among key government and donor actors, to identify support to strategic investment areas and to increase action on food security and agriculture development.
“The restoration of agriculture growth and food security is our own responsibility as Africans. This is what CAADP is about. Ownership, doing things differently and the collective commitment of African leaders towards a new agriculture development agenda” said Prof. Richard Mkandawire, the Agriculture adviser at the New Partnership for Africa’s Development.
Speaking on behalf of the development partners John Barrett of the UK’s Department for International Development advised that this was the time to turn commitment into actions on issues of food security and agriculture.
“Fine words need to turn into action. And, that is what we are here for,” he stressed.
This engagement between AU-NEPAD, agriculture focal points from the regional economic communities, focal points from the national ministries and the development partners comes after many recent global commitments to support food security and agriculture. This includes the commitments made in the L’Aquila Joint Declaration on Global Food Security taken at the G8 in 2009.
At the national and regional levels this engagement comes soon after the signing of the CAADP Compacts in Togo, Burundi and Ethiopia. Pertinently, it also comes after the AU Heads of State and Government Summit in July 2009 in Sirte, Libya through which African leaders’ renewed their committed themselves to implementing the CAADP agenda.
CAADP is a shared framework for the development  of the agriculture sector in Africa.  Its main objective is to help African countries achieve higher economic growth through agriculture-led development, thereby eliminating hunger, reducing poverty and food insecurity, enabling the expansion of exports, and supporting environmental resilience
For more information contact:
Ms. Sihem Kefi, Communications Officer, African Union Commission,
Email: KefiS@africa-union.org / + 251 91 337 7472

Visit the African Union website: http://www.africa-union.org

Dr. Andrew Kanyegirire, CAADP Communications Manager, NEPAD
Email: andrewk@nepad.org / +27 (0) 83 704 4506
Visit the CAADP website: http://www.nepad-caadp.net



 

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